Paul Miller is calm, relatively collected and seemingly unshaken by the gravity of the situation as he tells Flagler County’s 911 dispatcher that “you might send an ambulance” because he’d just shot his neighbor, Dana Mulhall. “His first name is Dana. I don’t know his last name,” Miller says. At no point does Miller suggest that his life had been threatened.
The dispatcher, toward the end of a 150-second conversation, asks him to stay on the line until authorities arrive at the scene. He hangs up on her, saying he had to call his wife to tell her what happened.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office released the redacted recording today. Miller is in jail since last week, without bond, facing a seco9nd-degree murder charge in the killing of Mulhall. Miller shot Mulhall five times at the height of an argument over Miller’s dogs. All five bullets struck Mulhall, four of them as Mulhall was running away.
The 911 recording the sheriff’s office released is redacted. The office normally redacts self-incriminating evidence and names of those involved. Miller’s name is redacted, for example. So is a phrase quoted by the original Flagler Beach police report that Miller spoke to the 911 dispatcher–that Mulhall had “jumped on him” so he “shot his fucking ass.”
Miller throughout the recording answers every question the dispatcher poses, telling her first that the gun was on the porch and ignoring the dispatcher’s request to “leave the gun alone.” Miller is heard saying that he’s taking the gun to the living room to put it on top of a cabinet.
“OK. OK, I’m going to probably have to keep you on the line though until we can get law enforcement–” the dispatcher tells Miller, only to be interrupted as MIller says, for the second time during the call, that he will be calling his wife: “No, I gotta, I gotta hang up and call my wife. I’ll be right here on the porch,” he says.
The dispatcher is heard telling others that he’d just hung up on her.
The recording is below. The full text of the recording is below it.
Paul Miller’s Call to 911[media id=269 width=500 height=400]
Text of the 911 recording:
“Flagler County 911, where’s your emergency?”
“You might send a ambulance.”
[Garbled.]
“He’s laying in his yard over here. […] We’ve had trouble before.”
“OK, is he, and where are you right now?”
“I’m in the house, my house.”
“Where’s the gun.”
“Hunh?”
“Where is your gun?”
“Laying outside.” He lets out what sounds like a nervous laugh. “On the porch.”
“OK, so we don’t know if he’s breathing or anything?”
“Nope. Don’t know.”
“OK, are you going to stay in the house?”
“Yeah, I’ll be out here on the porch.”
“OK, is anybody out with him?”
“Nope.”
“Do you know the male’s name?”
“His first name’s Dana. I don’t know his last name.”
“OK.”
“He made threats here a couple of weeks ago and I had to call law on him. He come over here doing it again right just a few minutes ago.”
“What happened?”
“He says my dogs was barking. They may [garbled] yap a little bit as the dogs walk up the street but he’s drunk or somethin’ and his face is blood red and he’s just cussing and calling me names and threatening me and every damn thing.” He lets out another laugh. “Calling me names. Threatening.”
“OK, and what is your—what is your name sir? […] OK, And you’re on the porch and your gun is on the porch with you?”
“Yeah.”
“OK, I want you to leave the gun alone. Did you unload it?”
“I think I did.”
“OK, all right. Where is the—where are you putting the gun?”
“Out through the back of the house.”
“OK.”
“Probably outside.”
“OK. All right, put–”
“I’m going to call my wife and tell her what’s happening. She’s […]”
“OK, I need to know like where you’re going to put the gun in the home.”
“I put the gun in the living room on top of the cabinet.”
“OK. And you’re calling […] OK, do you know his, house, where he is?”
“He lives next door here.”
“Just next door?”
“yeah.”
“OK. OK, I’m going to probably have to keep you on the line though until we can get law enforcement–”
Miller interrupts the dispatcher: “No, I gotta, I gotta hang up and call my wife. I’ll be right here on the porch.”
“He just hung up on me.”
Earlier:
- Grim Details Emerge: 5 Bullets Struck Dana Mulhall, 4 as He Fled, 2 in His Back
- Flagler Beach’s Paul Miller Is Jailed On 2nd Degree Murder Charge
- Paul Miller, Who Shot and Killed Dana Mulhall in Flagler Beach Wednesday, Is Set Free
- A Man Is Dead, Another in Custody in Flagler Beach Shooting Following Neighbors’ Dispute
a friend says
“sweet” old man…..
So sad says
Heartless. Totally and completely heartless. I’m at a loss for words. Except for these… First degree murder.
billie says
repeal the stand your ground law
Itchey says
Wow, Nonchalant does not describe what I just heard.
Hard to imagine things could get to the point that taking a life sounds like it is no more than an ordinary task that required a police report.
It does make a reasonable person wonder about the premise that the act was done without premeditation, or aforethought does it not?
So sad says
Itchey, there WAS premeditation. He went in the house, got his gun and then went out on the porch to wait for my cousin to come back out of his own house. There was plenty of time to change his plan and just call 911 or walk away or try to quiet his dogs, but he made decision and followed through on his plan. His family and mine are forever changed because of his choice. He needs to be away somewhere for the rest of his miserable life.
May he see Dana’s face EVERY DAY. May he hear that gun. May he see Dana trying to get away as he kept on shooting. May they haunt every breath he takes! Cause these are the visions going through MY family’s minds as we try to come to terms with the fact that Dana is gone forever. This wasn’t a tragic car accident or an illness. This was a cold blooded murder, senseless and certainly NOT self defense. Dana’s words did not kill or wound this man. (If he did threaten him) I am not sure I believe anything that comes out of that mans mouth other that he “shot his f’in ass.” THAT I believe!
Yellowstone says
You say, “without premeditation, or aforethought does it not?”
This was premeditated!
Will says
I’m sure they’ll test his mental state to see if he’s still able to reason and recall normally. I can’t imagine anyone doing this in command of their faculties.
jo jo krako says
It is now crystal clear, without any other possible conclusion…no excuses accepted anymore, the facts speak for themselves..and all I can wonder is WHY?
Jojo says
I liken it to a runaway stagecoach without a driver or in simple terms – “RAGE!”
Cathy says
I Was so shocked when I heard there was a murder in Flagler Beach. I just want to send my condolences to the family. Their loved one was taken from them in a senseless act. My feeling is this is definitely a premeditated murder and nothing less. He had plenty of time to call the police 911 instead he walks into the house and gets the gun. The poor man was running away so how would anyone else accept self defense! Again, I’m so sorry for the pain the victims friends and family are going through….May God give you strength.
Brandy says
You tell me what would you do if someone told you that they were going to kill you? What would you do if they turned like they were reaching for something…..Well by god I’m gonna tell you what I would do….the same dam thing! If it came down to my life or theirs….it sure as hell would not be a hard decision for me to make. Yes both family’s will be changed forever and my god be with both family’s at this troubling time. I just have to see this as you had better not threaten my life, because I would take that VERY seriously, just as he did.
Jeff Hall says
Does Florida have the death penalty? If so, Paul Miller deserves it.
John says
Paul miller is my grandfather from Tennessee, he is not a bad man, I wish there were witnesses to this, I know down in my heart, this is not premeditated just like John says what would you do if someone threatened your life and it happened to you, this dispatch crap is my grandfather being nervous he does not get excited, he just does , he is not violent, the Dana man should had took the domestic reports serious as a warning, temper temper
so sad: He went back into his house cause the man threatened his life also the dogs too, and no telling what all in the past, Dana made the threat and went into his own house so Paul assuming because he just got threatened of his life done the same and seen mister Dana come back and Paul confronted him, he shouldn’t had gestered behind his back after threatening him, especially while being on Paul’s property
Jeff Hall: You people must be ignorant, please death penalty, premeditated, come on, so you people thing that mister Dana is perfectly fine to have the balls to argue with his neighbors over barking dogs,, and yes my grandfather filed reports on this Mann, he tried doing and did do the right thing, these police encounters over the domestic reports should had been fair enough warning for mister Dana but no he can’t let the dogs be , so he kicks back and has a few, maybe or not, but still he let his pride and temper over rule him, enough to go outside threatin his neighbor saying I’ll kill you and your barking ass dogs, so he goes back in and then comes back out onto someone else’s property,come on dude what do you think is gonna happen to especially after you threatin to kill then reach as a gester behind his back, I bet he wished he did have a weapon, and also this dispatch call ain’t saying a damn thing about personality whatsoever except that he’s doing the right thing, and my grandfather is a very calm Mann, he does not get excited, sorry but I guarantee that he can hold his cool and was, he done called police several times on the man, mister Dana just thot he had bigger balls and was impossible to touch, oops, he messed up, he should had kept to himself, my regards to the family tho, I no this is bad, but now we all have limits and they come short when you’ve been threaten of your life, mister Dana did not just harrass little dogs and just Paul, he also done it to Paul’s wife
Itchey: Please but your wrong there were many reports on mister Dana and his harrassments, except this time Dana said he was gonna kill him and the diggs so Dana needed to learn that your temper can be the death of ya
Rich P. says
Give me a break! I have been around guns my whole life. What if someone scratches their head or as said- a person has their hand behind their back, and they happen to be someone you don’t like and have had words with, do you empty a magazine on the person? Dah- NO! You don’t shoot people cause their hand is somewhere that can not be seen. Even if a person showed empty hands and said I’ll kill you (though I don’t believe Dana ever did threatened to kill him), you still have no right to shoot a person. This would be like permission granted to the paranoid to kill people! What happened to Dana is way beyond ridiculous, it is murder!