Gunman Wounds Three In Shootout Heavily Armed Man Target Of Marijuana Investigation

A gunman was found dead in his home with a shotgun in his lap and a pistol in his pocket after a shootout Saturday that wounded three agents from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Wayne S. Miller, 50, refused pleas by authorities and his mother to surrender and reportedly fired several shots before a robot peered inside his window and found his body. It was not clear how he died.

The three agents got hospital treatment and were released.

The standoff started Friday night when agents tried to search Miller’s home for marijuana. Miller, who had been convicted for selling marijuana, pointed a gun at them, said Pamela Swanson, a GBI spokeswoman in Atlanta.

By late morning, after negotiations broke down, agents lobbed tear gas into the mobile home, located just north of Lincolnton and about 100 miles east of Atlanta. Miller responded by firing at the three agents and then threw a hand grenade, which did not explode, Swanson said.

“At that point, agents began shooting back. He was considered heavily armed,” she said.

Hours later, Miller’s mother pleaded with him to surrender even as authorities positioned an armored truck nearby. “We love you. We love you. Please come out with your hands up,” she yelled.

By late afternoon, an hour after a reported second round of shots were fired, agents used the robot.

Investigators later found 30 pounds of marijuana buried in Miller’s yard, and a smaller amount inside the house. Police also found a 10-gauge shotgun with a 32-inch single barrel, an Enfield rifle, and a .22-caliber semiautomatic pistol. A 12-gauge, double-barreled shotgun was on his lap and .38-caliber pistol was found in his pocket.