Donald Thomas Miller II, age 39, was shot and killed on October 6 by Zach Reed, an officer with the Monterey Police Department. According to police reports, Miller was acting irrationally in downtown Monterey, police were called, and Reed killed him because Miller was in possession of a weapon, which turned out to be non-operational.

Monterey police say they received reports on October 6 of a man who was acting irrationally and who possibly had a weapon in a public walkway located between the Memory Garden and the Indian Summer Hookahs Bar and Grill by Monterey’s Custom House Plaza. Reed was the first officer to arrive, and he shot Miller six times, killing him. Police say Miller had a weapon, which turned out to be a "non-functional antique revolver,” Monterey District Attorney Dean Flippo said in a press conference.

A look at Monterey police officer Zach Reed's Facebook page reveals some disturbing posts in the context of the killing, including memes that state: "Be A Warrior, Not A Worrier" and "The Brave Do Not Live Forever, but the Cautious Do Not Live at All". Another Facebook post from Reed is an image of The Thin Blue Line. The idea behind this graphic is that law enforcement (the blue line) is what stands between the violence and victimization by criminals of the would-be victims of crime. The memes clearly represent a militaristic or "cops first" attitude of law enforcement when encountering dangerous situations.

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