Political motives behind Vegas shooting

Two politically motived shooters shot and killed two officers and one civilian this past weekend before turning their guns on themselves in Las Vegas.

Jerad and Amanda Miller have been identified as the shooters who opened fire on police officers Alyn Beck and Igor Soldo inside a Las Vegas Cici’s Pizza this past Sunday, killing both officers.

Upon shooting the two officers at point-blank range, the couple stripped the equipment from the dead officers before leaving and saying, “This is the start of a revolution!”

The two shooters then made their way to a nearby Walmart, where they shot and killed one civilian in the store.  After a firefight with police inside the Walmart, the couple made their way to the back of the store where they turned their guns on each other.  Local authorities believe the couple made a suicide-pact prior to the shooting.

The couple made various postings on social media websites before the shooting where they voiced their concerns and anger over how the government handled the Bundy Ranch, gun control laws, and the Benghazi attack.  A Google+ post from Jerad says the couple had “sold everything” and left their jobs in order to be a part of the Bundy Ranch protests.  However, other protestors at the ranch asked the couple to go home, much to Jerad’s disdain.

This same post claims the reason the couple was turned away was because of Jerad’s criminal status as a felon.  According to the IndyStar, Jerad has a criminal record in Indianapolis, where he lived before moving to Las Vegas, dating back to 2007.  He was charged with various offenses including intimidation, felony battery, and “pointing a firearm.”

The Saturday before the shooting, Jerad made a chilling post to his Facebook saying, “The dawn of a new day. May all of our coming sacrifices be worth it.”

One neighbor of the couple said the Millers had handed out “white-supremacist propaganda,” and had wanted to perform a mass-shooting similar to Columbine.

The Millers subscribed to various conspiracy theories revolving around the government, the latest in which they believed the shooting spree near the University of California, Santa Barbara, was a plot by the government, carried out in order to suppress gun rights.