Barricaded in burning home, man dies

Officers investigating a domestic battery complaint feared the Largo man had a gun. Flames also drove them back.

By ED QUIOCO, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published September 9, 2002

LARGO -- A man was found dead Sunday afternoon after he barricaded himself inside his mobile home as it burned.

Largo police officers were unable to enter Theodore Miller's home at the Kings Manor Estate mobile home park on Belcher Road because they feared he was armed, said Brandon Graham, a Largo police spokesman.

Firefighters also had to keep their distance and were limited in how they could fight the blaze.

Neighbors watched as the fire devoured the mobile home, breaking through the windows and reaching the tree tops.

"It was just shooting solid, like a flame-thrower," said Kevin Davis, 28, a neighbor. "The whole street was covered in flames."

Largo police officers went to Miller's home on Knights Road to investigate a domestic battery complaint, Graham said.

Miller's wife had gone to the Largo Medical Center on Sunday morning with injuries to her eye and bruises on her body, and had accused Miller of beating her.

When officers arrived, Miller, 48, repeatedly refused to come out. Then, "one of our sergeants looked inside and it appeared that he had a gun," Graham said.

Officers also noticed that something was burning inside the home, Graham said. Firefighters were called at 2:58 p.m. The officers also called for the Police Department's tactical apprehension and control team. TAC members tried to enter the home, but were driven back by the flames.

"They tried to make entry but once they entered, the flames met them immediately so they had to pull out," Graham said.

Unsure whether Miller would shoot at them, firefighters sprayed water on the fire from a distance.

"There was a danger, and they had confirmation from the wife of the suspect that he did have a gun," Graham said.

Neighbors said Miller's wife, Linda, is the vice president of the neighborhood's tenants association.

"They were like a normal married couple," said Jane Almquist, 45, a neighbor who has known the couple for about a year. "She's a sweetie, and he was always very nice. Until now."

Friends said Linda Miller is a friendly neighbor who stood up for residents when they feared their rent would be increased.

"She didn't deserve this, that's for sure," said Jennifer Yaw, 30, who lives nearby.

The mobile home was gutted, with its metal roof sagging from the damage and the interior blackened by the fire. Some neighbors said they heard gunshots as the home burned, but police said no shots were fired.

"It's crazy," Davis said. "Normally, it doesn't happen like this down here."

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