On a tragic Sunday morning, June 8, 2014, the life of 31-year-old Joseph Robert Wilcox, a Caucasian male, was cut short in a selfless act of heroism. Wilcox was at a Walmart in Las Vegas when a married couple, Jerad and Amanda Miller, entered the store after having just ambushed and killed two police officers at a nearby pizza restaurant. Inside the Walmart, Jerad Miller fired a shot into the air, causing panic and sending shoppers fleeing for their lives.
Instead of running, Joseph
Wilcox, who was legally carrying a concealed firearm, decided to confront the active shooter. Believing Jerad Miller was acting alone, Wilcox drew his weapon and moved to engage him. However, he was tragically unaware that Amanda Miller was also armed and involved in the attack. As he focused his attention on Jerad, Amanda Miller approached him from behind and fatally shot him.
The suspects, Jerad and Amanda Miller, were cornered by responding law enforcement officers inside the Walmart. A shootout ensued, during which police fatally shot Jerad Miller. After being wounded, his wife, Amanda Miller, took her own life with a self-inflicted gunshot. Joseph Wilcox was posthumously hailed as a hero by law enforcement and the community for his courageous attempt to protect others. His actions were credited with creating a delay that allowed other shoppers to escape the store safely. There were no arrests to be made as both suspects died at the scene.
