TECUMSEH, NEBRASKA — The Nebraska man who was shot and killed by Montana Highway Patrol troopers following a pursuit on April 3 was wanted for planting a faulty bomb outside a prison in Tecumseh, Nebraska, according to KOLN 10/11 News.
The Sweet Grass County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the death of 27-year-old Breighton Miller near Big Timber. A warrant for his arrest had been issued after an apparent bomb was left in the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution’s parking lot.
On April 1, two employees at Tecumseh’s prison spotted two propane tanks left near a truck in the parking lot around 10:30 a.m. One tank’s valve had been opened, and a spent road flare was next to it. The vehicle belonged to a captain at the prison.
Though the valve had been opened, the propane tank did not release any gas. Authorities think Miller did not understand how the tank worked when he left it open next to a flare.
Authorities reviewed surveillance video from the parking lot and spotted someone leave the propane tanks and flare a few minutes prior to their discovery. The suspect left in another truck, and it was later found to belong to Miller, according to an arrest affidavit.
Miller had been an inmate at Tecumseh’s prison after a first-degree sexual assault conviction in 2019. Prosecutors had accused Miller of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl in the prior year. He was released in September of 2024 on post-release supervision.
Surveillance video was pulled from around the prison, and authorities spotted Miller’s truck passing through the wider area before and after the propane tanks were left.
Later that night, one of Miller’s family members reported him missing just before midnight. She told police that Miller may have stolen a handgun. The next day, she told police that Miller had contacted her, demanding money be put in his bank account. Authorities said Miller threatened to drive into her garage with his propane-loaded truck.
Prosecutors ended up charging Miller with one felony count of placing a false bomb on April 3. Troopers in Montana ran into him the same day in the middle of the state.
According to the Montana Department of Justice, a trooper spotted Miller’s vehicle passing by Big Timber just before 3 p.m. A second trooper was called in to help conduct a traffic stop, but Miller fled the scene.
The troopers tried to stop Miller’s vehicle with a PIT maneuver (precision immobilization technique) but failed. Miller then opened fire on the troopers, authorities said.
The troopers returned fire, striking Miller. He was pronounced deceased some time later at the scene. The incident lasted roughly three minutes, according to the department.
Neither trooper was injured in the shooting, and both have been placed on administrative leave per Montana Highway Patrol policy.
