Hey, My Son's A Better Shot Than That!

    ' Yeah, That's what I Said!  Those stupid police are 'Grasping At Straws', whatever That means.  I mean, come On, just because my boy supposedly 'pawned' a gun that ballistic testing 'proves' was used in four of those 'no big deal' Freeway shootings, afterall nobody got Hurt, does Not mean that he did those shootings.  Hey, I should Know!  I taught my Son how to shoot!  There's No Way he would Miss If he Were to shoot at a car, and I'm not sayin' that he Did.   Man, a Car is really Easy to hit...just lead it...wait..Pow!  Annnnd, I have always told him that, If, and I'm not sayin' he Did, he uses a gun in some sort of 'crime', and I'm not sayin' he Did, to get rid of that 'hot iron' so's it can't be traced back to ya.  Never Pawn the darn thing!  Who the heck with half a brain does That??  Who could Ever be That dumb!?  Not my Boy!  I've taught him better than That!  We all know that he just found that gun layin' in the street, and he not wanting it to fall into some innocent childs hands where someone would accidently get shot all up, he quickly ran down to the Pawn Shop and 'unloaded' it.  Heck, there's no telling how many lives he saved by doin' That!  He should get some sort of Hero Medal!  But Noooo...just because those coppers can't detect their own nose's on the end of their stupid faces, they go and pin it on Him!  How easy is That!?  I believe everything my son tells me, 'cause He believes everything I tell Him.  Thats called 'respect'!  Something cops don't know squat about!  Our whole family Loves Guns, afterall without Guns, we'd have a hard time making ends meet.  So that makes us Pro Guns, and the cops don't like us for that.  And you know what ELSE?  We are an Anti-Criminal family.  We hate criminals!  Yeah, I know what you're Thinking, lOOks like we stay busy Hating Each Other, but we still respect each other at the same time.  My boy is a 'stay at home Dad', he knows how to 'stand up, and he loves his children, and he teaches Them stuff that I taught Him.  You won't see Them getting caught doin' dumb stuff.  I ain't raised no fOOls!  I myself learned the hard way. Yeah, I got caught a bunch of times doin' dumb things with guns, stealing things, bad checks, little stuff like That.  But I was a quick learner, and Now I don't get caught Much at all.  That's why I know my boy is innocent as the day is long, he knows way better that to screw up and get caught at something, 'cause I taught him Everything I know!  Let my little boy go, he's a Hero!  :/ :/   BuddyBlack  

Father of Arizona Freeway Shootings Suspect Says Police 'Grasping at Straws'

• By EMILY SHAPIRO
• ALYSSA PONE

Sep 20, 2015, 3:43 PM ET

PlayMaricopa County Sheriff's Office

Leslie Allen Merrit Jr. Allegedly Connected to 4 Arizona Highway Shootings

The 21-year-old man arrested in connection with a string of shootings on Interstate 10 in the Phoenix area had nothing to do with the alleged crimes, his father told ABC News.

Leslie Merritt Jr. faces a slew of charges related to four shootings on August 29 and 31. His father, Leslie Merritt Sr., said police were looking for a scapegoat.

"Do I believe my son had anything to do with it? Absolutely not. I will support my son and defend my son with every ounce of my being," he said. "[The police are] snatching anybody that's reported to have a 9 millimeter [handgun], might have pawned one and they're grasping at straws and they're looking -- for lack of a better term -- [for] a scapegoat."

 

Merritt Jr. was charged in connection with the four shootings "because the weapon that he owned is forensically linked," Arizona Department of Public Safety Director Frank Milstead said Friday. He was ordered to be held on $1 million cash bond, but protested his arrest to the judge, saying police have "the wrong guy."

Investigators checked pawn shops for guns matching the caliber of shell casings at the shootings, police said, and when a gun pawned by Merritt was test-fired, it was determined to be a match.

Leslie Merritt Sr. said his son had purchased two guns and then pawned them for household needs.

ABC News

Leslie Merritt Sr. is shown in this screengrab.

"From what I was told, he pawned [the guns] shortly before or same weekend all this started ... I believe he pawned them Sunday the 30th," Merritt Sr. said. "My son is by no means ignorant. If he committed a crime with a firearm, my son has more sense than to pawn said firearm because it links directly back to you."

Merritt Sr. said his son "has had one scrape with the law," and added that he himself has a criminal history, too.

"Honestly, if my son was out shooting at something, he would hit it," he said. "My family is pro-guns, anti-criminals. I say that as a convicted felon. If you look at my record, any time I've had an issue, I've admitted to what I've done and taken my punishment.

Merritt Sr. said his son has a fiancee and children, and called him a "dedicated family man."

"I absolutely believe him ... my son's a stand-up, hard working father," he said.

Merritt Sr.'s criminal record includes misconduct involving weapons, forgery, theft and trafficking in stolen property, according to Maricopa County Superior Court records.

Arizona DPS spokesman Bart Graves today declined to comment on Merritt Sr.'s remarks.

"The case is going forward in the criminal justice system," Graves said.