Retired Soldier Found Shot to Death

Charles Anderson "Sonny" Miller, 69, of 5818 Holland St., was shot just before 2 a.m. Thursday, authorities said. Information about a possible motive or a suspect hasn't been released.

Miller lived in the house with one of his sons, according to Glenda Williams, who said she is Miller's niece. The son is in his 40s and has had a drug problem, she said.

Williams described her uncle as a kind-hearted man who owned Miller's Plumbing. He was retired from the Army, where he was in the Special Forces and served in Vietnam, she said. He had four children – three sons and a daughter.

"He was always kind to people," said a neighbor who identified himself only as John. "It's just tough to lose him.

"I've heard from all the neighbors already. Everybody is just up in arms about this," he said.

"I wouldn't have any idea why anyone would want to hurt him. He never gave anybody any problems. He always tried to help people," said another neighbor, John Davis.

Investigators with the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office said the Shaw Heights neighborhood is in a high-crime area and is known for drugs, prostitution and shootings. It wasn't known if the area's problems played a role in Miller's death.

"He was better than a brother to me," neighbor Charlie Dennison said. "Miller did not like anybody who was involved with drugs, period."

Miller had no criminal history, authorities said. They had a photo of him on file because he had applied for a gun permit several years ago.