A Valliant man, Carl Eugene Miller Jr., 47, was charged Friday with first-degree murder – deliberate intent – and with possession of a firearm after felony conviction.
Carl Eugene Miller Jr.
The charge stems from the shooting death on Tuesday of Vernell Neal.
A sworn statement by sheriff’s investigator James Revada says he was dispatched at 2:23 p.m. Tuesday to Clear Creek Road south of Valliant to the report of a man being shot with a shotgun.
Miller was detained at the scene and informed of his Miranda rights.
According to the officer’s statement, Miller, Vernell, and other family members were at the home of Miller’s mother for a family gathering. An argument between Vernell and Miller led to a proposition to fist fight outside.
Vernell left and retrieved a firearm. Miller stayed inside the house but heard a commotion outside and saw Vernell holding a handgun. Vernell fired the gun into the ground before a family member talked Vernell into leaving the property.
Vernell left in his vehicle but parked at the intersection of Baker Road and Clear Creek Road. Miller saw him at the intersection and expressed concern about his being able to leave with Vernell waiting there.
A family member left the property, then called Miller, telling him it was safe for him to leave. Miller left the property, but when he approached the intersection, Vernell pulled out in front of him, blocking his exit.
The officer’s report said Vernell got out of his vehicle, then pointed his handgun at Miller. Miller put his vehicle in reverse, then headed back to the house and retrieved a shotgun from his mother’s bedroom. He returned to his vehicle with the gun.
Vernell, standing in the roadway, pointed his handgun at Miller, who, from inside his vehicle, then aimed the shotgun at Vernell’s leg and fired.
Miller got out of his vehicle. Vernell was lying in the roadway with his pistol on the ground beside him. Vernell reached for the pistol, but Miller kicked it into a ditch. EMS and Valliant officer Josh Smith rendered aid to Vernell, who was airlifted to a hospital where he later died of his injuries.
Miller confirmed he is a convicted felon.
An EMS official asked Vernell what had happened, and he said, “I pointed a gun at him,” then added, “I pointed a gun at my cousin.”
Miller was arrested and has been in the county jail since the incident.
Prosecutors say Miller has the following previous record:
- 2007, convicted of possessing firearms during probation, for which he received a six-year sentence.
- 2018, convicted of possessing a firearm after felony conviction, for which he received a 30-month sentence.
- 2021, convicted of possession of a firearm after felony conviction and uttering a forged instrument, for which he received a 50-month sentence.
- 2022 in Choctaw County, convicted of possession of a firearm after felony conviction, for which he received a sentence of one year in jail and four years suspended.
- 2025 in Choctaw County, convicted of eluding or attempting to elude an officer, for which he received three months in jail and the balance of three years suspended.
