University of Washington senior Miles Allen Murphy was shot and killed by police outside his University District apartment, the Seattle Times reported. Many are wondering the exact circumstances of the shooting, as Miles was found in a WWII-Era German uniform.

Murphy, a German-Culture Studies student, was outside shooting a vintage rifle when neighbors called the police to complain. When police arrived, Murphy answered the door in uniform, holding a large rifle with a bayonet attached. When police asked Murphy to drop his weapon twice, he instead pointed his rifle at the police, prompting them to shoot several times. Murphy died at the hospital. 

Murphy had been using the guns for around half an hour, and may have been inebriated:

Kedziora [Murphy's neighbor] said he saw his neighbor and two other men with guns standing in the alley at about 1:30 a.m. Thursday. He looked outside when he heard a loud bang, thinking the guns were fake.

But when he watched the men reload, he realized the guns were real and said to his friend, "That guy's an idiot."

One of the men was wearing an olive uniform and a military helmet, Kedziora said, and his neighbor was wearing a Nazi military uniform.

"I didn't know he had the whole get-up," he said. A third man was wearing street clothes. It wasn't clear if either of the other two men live at the apartment.

Kedziora said he heard confusion outside and could hear police warning the man to drop his weapon. A few minutes later, they watched out the window as the wounded neighbor was taken away and SWAT teams searched the neighborhood.

Police searching the apartment after the incident found the large collection of German military regalia and a lot of alcohol, Kappel said.

 

Though he was wearing the uniform, police have not confirmed if he was wearing any Nazi symbols as well. Friends say that is unlikely, as they describe Miles Murphy as a well-liked, eccentric guy:

Spencer Bray, a UW senior... said Murphy had amassed a large collection of WWII memorabilia from the Internet, goodwill stores and from antique dealers.

 

"He was one of the most peaceful guys I have met. He was really just a nice guy," Bray said. "I never heard him espousing any Nazi ideology; none of that interested him. He liked the physical stuff from WWII because he was such a history buff."

 

Bray said Murphy sometimes would wear kilts or uniforms to class — including German and U.S. gear from WWII — but would make sure the outfits didn't have symbolic additions such as swastikas.

Murphy was also an accomplished musician who played the piano, violin, banjo, and guitar; and also spoke German, Swedish, and Finnish. 

While I certainly respect the men and women who protect us every day in this crazy world, it seems a great tragedy that such a promising life was lost. OTR and I send our condolences to Miles Murphy's family and friends.