New details in shooting death of Kansas man near Sedona

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - More details were released Monday, involving the death of a Kansas man who was shot and killed by a U.S. Forest officer that happened on Friday.

According to a family attorney, the man, identified as 51-year-old Tyler Miller, was on his way to a spiritual retreat when he crashed his vehicle, and later shot by that officer.

The incident happened about 100 miles north of Phoenix, along U.S. 89a in Oak Creek Canyon, north of Sedona. Many people know for this stretch of highway for its beautiful scenic views. On Friday, however, it became a crime scene, and was closed for hours.

As of Monday, there are still a lot of questions as to what exactly happened to the Hutchison, Kansas man. Meanwhile, the family's attorney, Matt Bretz, spoke with FOX 10 Phoenix via Skype on Monday.

"He was on his way to a spiritual retreat north of Sedona. The road is a bit curvy. He lost control of the vehicle, went off the road and hit a large rock, and then it becomes rather vague as to what happened, and the FBI hasn't been able to tell us or hasn't told us yet," said Bretz. "At some point after the collision, Mr. Miller exited his vehicle, and was shot by a forest ranger."

FBI officials confirmed Miller was unarmed, and said after Miller got out of his car, there was some sort of altercation between him and the officer. The officer was injured and treated, and Miller later died at the hospital.

Bretz said Miller was a kind, hard-working businessman, and was married to his high school sweetheart for 28 years. The two have four sons.

"If you were to ask about what is most memorable characteristic is, most people would say his smile," said Bretz. "For the family trying to understand what happened, it's just unimaginable."

The FBI is reportedly is handling the investigation, and will turn it over to the U.S. Attorneys Office to see what, if any, charges will be filed.