Las Vegas Shooting Suspect Jerad Miller Threatened Violence in Interview at the Bundy Ranch

June 12, 2014

David Neiwert

Jerad Miller

Footage shot by a Las Vegas TV news reporter covering the standoff between federal authorities and Cliven Bundy and his antigovernment “Patriot” supporters in mid-April shows Jerad Miller – the Indiana man who with his wife, Amanda, shot and killed two police officers and a bystander on Sunday in North Las Vegas – threatening violence against government officials.

After telling the reporter for KRNV-TV that “Minutemen” were supposedly ringing the scene of the standoff, he said: “So, you know, I feel sorry for any federal agents that want to come in here and try to push us around, or anything like that. I really don’t want violence toward them, but if they’re gonna come bring violence to us, well, if that’s the language they want to speak, we’ll learn it.”

The reporter was shocked: “Well, that sounds kind of like a menacing statement, I have to tell you,” she said.

Miller responded: “You know, the people here, that have come here to support Bundy, we’re not afraid,” he said. “You know, we know that in the past the government has used force against civilians, like Waco, Ruby Ridge. Alright, we’re not afraid of that.”

Miller was filmed wearing camouflage gear and a T-shirt promoting Brandon Martines, a conservative candidate for Clark County Sheriff. Martines recently told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Jerad and Amanda Miller had shown up at his campaign events and had offered to work on the campaign, but that when he had checked their background he discovered that Jerad Miller had an extensive criminal history, including DUI, assault, theft and mischief charges. Martines told them, “Look, I appreciate your support but I can’t be associated in any way, shape or form with you.”

“They were just trying to infiltrate,” Martines said. “They obviously had an agenda.”

At the Bundy ranch, Miller indulged in the paranoid fantasy-based strategizing that was typical of the “Patriots” on the scene there, who at one point began turning on each other over fears that a federal drone attack was about to strike the camp.

In the KRNV interview, Miller touted the upcoming “Operation American Spring” – the planned “Patriot” march on Washington, D.C., that was supposed to draw millions of people out to demand President Obama’s resignation but only managed to draw dozens – as a possible counterweight to any assault on the “Patriot” encampment and the Bundys.

“But with American Spring coming up, you know, a lot of their resources are in D.C.,” he told the reporter. “They can’t send the ATF and the FBI out here in full force. You know, and we know that.”

He also made clear that he, like many of the Bundy supporters, was deriving much of his inspiration from web-based conspiracist outlets. When asked to ruminate on the upside of the government’s capitulation in the standoff, he said: “It’s going to show a lot of people that the federal government isn’t Almighty God. You know, they can’t just go around pushing people around doing whatever they want anymore. We have the Internet, we have alternative media – you know, we, we pick up on things faster, we can get around, we can support each other.”

He also mentioned that friends whom he described as being even more prone to violence nearly came out to Nevada to join him: “I know personally a couple people that wanted to come out here, um, and join up, but they were afraid they might get a little trigger-happy, you know, and wouldn’t wait for them to fire the first shot,” he said. “So they were advised to stay home, we only need cool-headed people here that aren’t going to antagonize them, you know, and – pretty much make it to look like we fired the first shot, or had anything involved in any of that kind of thinking.”

Indeed, Miller insisted that he and his fellow “Patriots” were not going to take the initial steps to violence:

So we’re not instigating anything. We are here in response to their criminal activity, as we see it. Sure, they have “the law” [air quotes] on their side. But is it constitutional law? That’s the issue.

Now, another big issue is our definition of constitutionality differs from theirs. You know, we are a little more strict on following the Constitution in their opinion. But I am pretty sure if our founders were alive today, they would be rolling over in their graves, or picking up a gun and doing what we’re doing.

More likely, they would be rolling in their graves at the thought of having a man like Jerad Miller claim their names for inspiration.

Full transcript below:

MILLER: Hopefully, people will see that there’s people out there willing to put their lives on the line, or just their, you know, physical bodies out there and put them in front of the tasers, be beaten, and help stand up for people, you know. Because, if this stuff was happening to me, I’d want people to be there for me, you know. So I can’t expect that out of people if I’m not going to be willing to come out and support somebody else in their time of need.

REPORTER: Well, tell us though – it’s got to be a good feeling that this weekend, if you want to call it a victory – I mean, certainly the BLM blinked.

MILLER: I mean, we can’t feel good about something like that because we shouldn’t have to be out here in the first place. Sure, um, you know, it give us a lot more hope. It’s going to show a lot of people that the federal government isn’t Almighty God. You know, they can’t just go around pushing people around doing whatever they want anymore. We have the Internet, we have alternative media – you know, we, we pick up on things faster, we can get around, we can support each other.

And that’s the real important thing. We need to be backing each other up and we stand for our rights and our liberties, because we’re losing them at an alarming rate. And –

REPORTER: It was getting pretty tense. It seemed that there was definitely a – fear that it was gonna become violent.

MILLER: You know, the people here, um, that have come here to support Bundy, we’re not afraid. You know, we know that in the past the government has used force against civilians, like Waco, Ruby Ridge. Alright, we’re not afraid of that.

REPORTER: Well, this was the fear that it was gonna become another situation like that – until the government backed down.

MILLER: Yeah, but this is an entirely different situation than Ruby Ridge and Waco. They didn’t have the Internet back then, you know. Cliven Bundy has been involved for over twenty years dealing with these people. This isn’t something new. It’s just it’s escalated to this point, you know.

So, it’s not that Cliven Bundy escalated it to this point. It’s the federal government. They came down here and started abusing protesters and stuff. Sure they might have been getting in the way of a truck, but they were just curious about what was going on up there, because it is illegal to bury cattle out there in the desert, and they were breaking the law. You know, they had backhoes, dump trucks – why do you need that stuff if you’re rounding up cattle? I can understand helicopters, but as far as the heavy machinery? That was totally uncalled for. So they were just wanting to know what was going on.

REPORTER: Does this change your strategy going forward, that there has been – you know, put one in your corner, in your tally.

MILLER: Well, we don’t see it like that. OK? We know they’re just falling back to regroup. They’ll be back. This isn’t over. Um, the BLM is just right down the road. They didn’t leave.

But with American Spring coming up, you know, a lot of their resources are in D.C. They can’t send the ATF and the FBI out here in full force. You know, and we know that –

REPORTER: You don’t think that federal government can’t mobilize at a moment’s notice if they want to? Come on.

MILLER: Not without people getting a little, I mean, suspicious of what they’re doing. The more they bring out here, the more will come. Plain and simple.

You know – this week, you know, people can’t just take off work right away. People can plan for vacations and things like that. If they come back, and there’s a standoff for a couple weeks, people will make it down here.

You know, people are just – a lot of people are just waiting to see what would happen. I know personally a couple people that wanted to come out here, um, and join up, but they were afraid they might get a little trigger-happy, you know, and wouldn’t wait for them to fire the first shot. So they were advised to stay home, we only need cool-headed people here that aren’t going to antagonize them, you know, and – pretty much make it to look like we fired the first shot, or had anything involved in any of that kind of thinking.

The armed people here are just here to keep the peace. You know, certainly, we did have yesterday morning like a little armed confrontation with them. But yet the sheriff was there one our side – which he shoulda been here, you know, Day One. Telling them to get out – they have no right to this land. The Constitution only allows the federal government to own land for military bases, shipyards, arsenals, capital buildings and emergency shelters. I don’t see any of that out here. So are they literally declaring –

REPORTER: But the sheriff said he cannot supersede the federal government.

MILLER: Ah, that’s not what the Constitution says.

[Break]

MILLER: Ah, there’s a lot of these guys that are self-set. And they’re really dedicated to freedom, that’s all they do, is they train, they go out, you know, and they protect our borders and things. Like that Minutemen are coming – and we’re just gonna be, uh – They’re out here. They’re out here right now. You don’t see ‘em. You know – that’s what they do.

So, you know, I feel sorry for any federal agents that want to come in here and try to push us around, or anything like that. I really don’t want violence toward them, but if they’re gonna come bring violence to us, well, if that’s the language they want to speak, we’ll learn it.

REPORTER: Well, that sounds kind of like a menacing statement, I have to tell you.

MILLER: Well, I mean, you hear this kind of rhetoric from the government all the time. We’ll put down citizens, we’ll put down protesters, we’ll beat you up, we’ll gas you, we’ll shoot you with rubber bullets. I mean, heck, down in New Mexico they shot and killed a homeless man out in the desert. You know. They shot and killed this man. Sicced a dog on him while he was laying there dying. And they caught this all on video.

REPORTER: On this issue, you’re saying you guys aren’t going away.

MILLER: No, we’re not going away, but we’re not firing the first shots, either. We will defend ourselves, if it has to come to that. But we’re hoping that, you know, our show of force yesterday is enough to get them to go, ‘Hey, this is a sensitive subject, this is a sensitive area, perhaps we should leave it alone.’

Because any further involvement with the federal government is just going to be seen as instigating. Alright, if they come back here – ‘cause the only reason we showed up here is ‘cause they were here doing what they were doing. It’s not like we came here to get their attention and they came. No, they came here and got our attention, and we came. So it’s what they’re doing is what’s bringing us here.

[END]