Facebook/Screenshot of Video Aaron Howard was shot and killed after a dispute over trash in an alleyway turned deadly.
Aaron Howard was shot and killed September 1 in the alley behind his home in Abilene, Texas. His two neighbors, John and Michael Miller, have been charged with the murder after Howard’s fiancee caught them on camera opening fire on her husband.
Howard’s fiancee, Kara Box, shot the deadly dispute on her cell phone and released it to local ABC station KTXS. You can see the video Box taped below. Be aware that the video is graphic and disturbing, and may not be suitable for some viewers.
***WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO***
The murder of an Abilene man was caught on camera. Aaron Howard was shot and killed in the alley behind his home. His two neighbors have been charged with the murder. (Video Credit: Kara Box via KTXS) t.co/fhkpvKzKHz
In the video, you can hear Howard telling the Millers that they were going to go to jail. Much of the video is bleeped out due to vulgar language, but threats can be heard from both sides, as John Miller continues to tell Howard to “back off.”
At one point, John Miller says: “If you come closer to me I’m going to kill you.”
“Hey, you hear he says he’s going to kill me?” Howard asks Box. He turns back to Miller and tells him to put the gun down and go back inside. Howard then gets angrier and starts shouting that Miller “pulled a gun in front of [our] children!”
Screenshot of KTXS VideoJohn and Michael Miller
You can then hear the two argue over what sounds like the “stand your ground” law in Texas, which gives individuals the right to use lethal force in self-defense as long as the person has the right to be where they are being threatened, usually pertaining to one’s own property. Box and Howard then tell Miller that he is in an alley, and the law wouldn’t protect them there.
Howard then threatens to kill Miller, who says: “I doubt it.” The two continue to argue over whether Howard should be threatening Miller if he plans to show the video to the police, and Miller continues to urge Howard to “take a swing, go ahead.”
The heated exchange began after a dispute over a mattress left in an alley. All three men were heard making threats until eventually, John Miller opens fire, shooting Howard several times. Michael Miller then opens fire as well, pulling the trigger on his shotgun.
Michael Miller opens fire on Aaron Howard over a trash dispute.
At one point in the video, Box can be heard saying “you’re not going to shoot my husband,” after walking in between the men and her Howard. However, she told KTXS that they began opening fire right over her shoulder, despite the fact that she stood between them.
“You can see that I stepped in between them and I said, ‘you’re not going to shoot my husband’ then he fired passed my head,” Box said.
The dispute began between John Miller and Howard, at which point Michael Miller allegedly went inside to retrieve a shotgun. Inside Edition reports that somebody also went inside Howard’s home to get a baseball bat. Both Millers reportedly shot Howard, who died of his injuries.
“He [Howard] didn’t even swing it, he threw it over both of their heads and it landed behind them in the alley,” Box told KTXS. “That’s when the old man fired past my face and shot Aaron in the chest twice with the pistol.”
Taylor County District Attorney Jim Hicks told KTXS: “Video evidence like this is always graphic and very difficult to watch. But, it is consistent with the charges,” Hicks said.
Both John and Michael Miller have been charged with first-degree murder. However, both are out of jail on $25,000 bond, according to KTXS.
“People deserve to know what actually happened and you know they deserve to know John and Michael Miller are murderers,” Box told KTXS.
This is a developing story. Heavy will continue to update as more information is known.