FL FL - Det. Lonnie Miller, 62, Jacksonville, 6 May 1995

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/cold-case-the-murder-of-a-jso-detective/188343400

t’s a murder mystery made more inexplicable by time: who killed Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Detective Lonnie Miller?...

Miller responded to a burglary alarm at a friend’s business. When he arrived, patrol units were already at the location. After a quick check of the premises, officers learned it was a false alarm.

Patrol officers left while Miller and his friend, Abdullah Shah, remained behind to chat. Shad told investigators at the time that the pair talked for about twenty minutes before a black male walked up from behind. He warned them, “Don’t move or I’ll bust a cap in you.”

Shah was shot twice and Miller just once. Shah told investigators that he checked on Miller and found that his friend was beyond help.

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People who knew him left messages.

Detective Lonnie C. Miller, Sr.

Wow. Such a bungled mess. His poor family.

"Times-Union Special Report; Murdered Cop, 9-Year Mystery" by Schoettler, Jim - The Florida Times Union, October 3, 2004 | Online Research Library: Questia
Snips:

Blasts from a screaming robber's gun. Thuds of two bodies collapsing. Footsteps of the fleeing attacker. Gasps of a dying man.

Moments later, the badly wounded survivor drove away. Dogs began barking, porch lights came on and neighbors spilled into the street.

Lavelda Johnson drifted over to the blood-soaked body of Detective Lonnie Miller.

"Mister, I don't know who you are, but if you know Jesus, call on Jesus," Johnson said softly. "He'll hear your prayer."

Records have now been made public that expose an investigation filled with enough twists, turns and internal turmoil to convince many it will never be solved.

At least 15 suspects were considered. One was identified by the survivor. Two were named by an alleged eyewitness, who also came under suspicion. Still another confessed and recanted repeatedly.

Crime scene evidence disappeared or was never collected. The search for the murder weapon went on and on. Suspects alleged that detectives fed them information that was later used against them.

Frustrated cops got into shouting matches and near fisticuffs over which suspects to pursue. They questioned each other's competence and developed jealousies and bitterness over perceived favoritism from different supervisors. The bad blood remains so deep that nine years later the detectives, all but one of whom is retired, still spew anger about one another.

The initial investigators were replaced despite being confident they were closing in. Detectives who took over felt sure they'd found the killer but couldn't convince prosecutors.

'May 17, 2023
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is highlighting a 28-year-old murder of JSO detective Lonnie Miller, hoping someone in the community leads them to find the killer. Detective Miller was killed while responding to a burglary call on May 6, 1995.'

May 17, 2023
'Outside the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office sits a monument to Det. Lonnie Miller. A local park on the Northwest side of town also bears his name.'

2016
“I got a call about 11:25 and one of the guys said we heard that your father had been shot,” Miller Jr. said. “When I see young people in the grocery store, sometimes they always ask how are things going? Have they found your father’s killer yet? And, of course, I would tell them, ‘No.’”
He said that every time he made an arrest, he would wonder if the person in handcuffs is his father’s killer. His father was the detective who wore an eye patch, who provided security for celebrities and was street savvy.'

''The files show that Miller responded to a burglary alarm at a friend’s business. When he arrived, patrol units were already at the location. After a quick check of the premises, officers learned it was a false alarm.
Patrol officers left while Miller and his friend, Abdullah Shah, remained behind to chat.
Shad told investigators at the time that the pair talked for about twenty minutes before a black male walked up from behind. He warned them, “Don’t move or I’ll bust a cap in you.”
Shah was shot twice and Miller just once. Shah told investigators that he checked on Miller and found that his friend was beyond help. He decided to leave the detective there and drove to University Medical Center for treatment.''