**Tyler Man Charged with Murder in Fatal Road Rage Shooting of Marine**
TYLER – A Tyler man has been charged with murder in connection with a fatal road rage shooting that killed a U.S. Marine, home on leave, last weekend. Ethan Kyle Miller, 21, faces the charge after the death of 19-year-old Lance Corporal Riley Jake Kian Mize.
The incident occurred early Saturday, May 25, around 2:30 a.m. near South Southwest Loop 323 and Old Jacksonville Highway. Tyler Police officers responded to a crash and found Mize, who was stationed at Camp Pendleton, unresponsive after his vehicle had collided with a utility pole. Mize was found to have sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
Miller was arrested last Friday, May 31, on the 700 block of East Seventh Street by officers with the Tyler Police Department, assisted by the U.S. Marshals and Smith County SWAT.
According to an affidavit, Miller admitted to the shooting during his interview, claiming self-defense. He told investigators that Mize, driving a dark-colored 2017 Chevrolet Colorado, pulled up alongside his dark-colored Chevy Silverado or GMC Sierra pickup, was "f***ing with him," and threw something at his truck. Miller further claimed Mize brandished a handgun, prompting him to fire his own .45 caliber weapon.
However, witness statements and evidence contradict Miller's account. The affidavit states that Mize "did not pose an immediate threat" to Miller. Witnesses reported that Mize’s truck was not directly next to Miller's at the time of the shooting, but rather traveling in the same direction. Furthermore, multiple shell casings were discovered inside Mize’s truck, suggesting he was shot while still in his own vehicle. License plate readers also captured Miller’s truck leaving the scene, heading west on Loop 323 at Old Jacksonville Highway, at 2:20 a.m.
Miller has a history of prior arrests, including for unlawfully carrying a weapon in March 2023. Additionally, an active warrant for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon from Henderson County had been issued for Miller in April 2024.
Miller is currently held in the Smith County Jail on a $1 million bond for the murder charge.
