Troubles haunted soldier killed in confrontation with troopers

Troubles haunted soldier killed in confrontation with troopers


Posted: Jan 10, 2012
By David Whisenant, Salisbury Bureau Reporter
STATESVILLE - To his fellow soldiers, Bill Miller was the kind of guy who would do anything for you. He was generous and hardworking.

But now many are saying that Miller was fighting some personal demons, and that those problems may have played a role in his fatal confrontation with state troopers on Sunday morning.

Troopers had confronted Miller at the home of his former girlfriend on Sain Road, east of Statesville. They say that moments earlier, Miller had driven his car off the road and through a neighbor's yard.

When they arrived at the house, they found Miller with a gun. They say he refused to obey their orders to put the gun down, and when an Iredell County deputy tried to use a Taser to subdue him, they say Miller started shooting. The troopers and the deputy returned fire, killing Miller.

Miller served with an Army National Guard unit based in Salisbury where he was a mechanic on the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters.

On Tuesday family and friends say two tours of duty in Iraq and several other problems had been haunting Bill Miller for years. A check of court records in Iredell County found several charges, including three for driving while impaired.

Prior to his second deployment there were charges of reckless driving and hit and run that were dismissed when Miller pleaded guilty to driving while impaired. Civil records show that Miller and his wife separated in 2005 but got divorced in 2006 with his ex wife claiming Miller didn't provide for one of the couple's sons while he was deployed in Iraq on his first tour.

Miller lost his house, a van, and a boat in the divorce.

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