A Hutchinson business owner was fatally shot on Friday afternoon by a U.S. Forest Service officer on his way to a retreat in Arizona, the family attorney confirmed.
Tyler Miller, 51, was traveling alone and unarmed when he was shot and killed just north of Sedona, Arizona, attorney Matt Brentz said. Brentz said the vague details were given to him by the FBI which is investigating the case.
“(The family has) no statement,” he said. “They are shocked and in mourning … He was definitely an entrepreneur. He was a pillar in the community. If you saw him, you saw a smile.”
Brentz said Miller is survived by a wife, Darcy, who owns Darcy Miller Photography, and four sons. He was the owner of TNT Bonding and Team Employment.
The officer, whose name was not released, was not injured, according to media sources near where the shooting occurred. Multiple reports said Miller was taken to the hospital and later died of his injuries.
The Arizona Department of Transportation reported at 3:55 p.m. on Friday that a mile section of State Route 89A was closed in both directions for a “police situation.” The ADOT reported the highway was reopened at 8:31 p.m.