Phoenix freeway shootings: Bullet fragments lead to suspect Leslie Allen Merritt Jr., DPS says

The Phoenix freeway-shootings investigation took Arizona and federal law-enforcement officials along a path of evidence that started with bullet fragments, led to a 9mm handgun and culminated Friday with the arrest of a man who insists he is innocent.

Two law-enforcement officials attributed the arrest to a combination of ballistics, shoe-leather police work and following the suspect, Leslie Allen Merritt Jr., on social media.

Merritt faces a total of 28 felony charges: four counts each of intentional terrorism, committing a drive-by shooting, endangerment, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, criminal damage, disorderly conduct and discharging a firearm within city limits, according to court documents.

Merritt made his initial court appearance Saturday morning.

“All I’ve got to say is you’ve got the wrong guy,” Merritt told Maricopa County Superior Court Commissioner Lisa Roberts. “My gun’s been in the pawn shop for the last two months. I don’t even have access to a weapon.”

After his arrest Friday, Merritt told detectives much the same: that he was not in possession of the gun because it was pawned, but investigators said that was not the case during the shootings, according to court records released late Saturday night. But Merritt also told detectives he had been in possession of the firearm since he bought it new and up until the point when he pawned it, those records stated.

A prosecutor requested a $1 million bond, saying that Merritt “presents a dramatic and profound threat to the community.” Roberts agreed. Before Merritt was led away in handcuffs, he told the commissioner he could never afford to post the bond.

Matching the weapon

Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesman Bart Graves said the search for Merritt started with identifying bullet fragments from the first four shootings, which happened on Aug. 29 and Aug. 30. Phoenix City Councilman Sal DiCiccio, who cited a Phoenix police source on his Facebook page, identified the weapon as a 9mm handgun. A high-placed law-enforcement source confirmed that statement.

Investigators identified the type of gun and scoured Valley pawnshops for that kind of weapon. On Wednesday, that led to Mo Money Pawn in central Phoenix, which turned over the 9mm, at the request of investigators, for ballistic tests, according to a statement posted on the shop’s Facebook page. A Mo Money manager would not comment when asked about when the gun was pawned, deferring questions to DPS.

Graves said the ballistics tests performed on the gun eventually established a match between bullet fragments recovered from four shootings and the weapon. From there, investigators looked at the pawnshop’s records and identified Merritt. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI helped DPS with the investigation, Graves said.

“There’s no independent tip that substantiated information that led to the arrest,” Graves said. “This was the result of exhaustive police work.”

The investigation is not over, though.

At a press conference, DPS said that a $50,000 reward and freeway signs soliciting tips will remain in place despite Merritt’s arrest.

“This piece of the pie has been solved, but we are working on all of the loose ends,” Graves said.

DPS has confirmed 11 shootings, mostly along Interstate 10 between 83rd Avenue and 32nd Street. During that period, eight vehicles were struck by bullets, while three were hit by unspecified projectiles, according to DPS. The bullets hit various parts of the vehicles, including windshields, passenger windows and a ladder.

One person was hurt, when glass from a shattered window cut the ear of a 13-year-old girl.

One of the victims discovered his vehicle had been shot after fixing a flat tire he had sustained while driving on the freeway. When mechanics removed his wheel, they discovered a bullet lodged in the tire, court records stated.

In another attack, one bullet passed through three seats of a tour bus before lodging into the cushion of a fourth.

During a separate incident, one victim described hearing a loud banging sound like a "baseball bat against a corrugated tin," according to court records.

Father on suspect: Burly teddy bear-like dad of 2

Officials said Merritt is the suspect in the first four shootings. Graves said investigators have not connected those initial shootings to subsequent incidents that also involved projectiles and a shooting that fits the profile of a road-rage shooting. It is not clear whether the drive-by shooting charges indicate that officials are accusing Merritt of firing from a moving vehicle.

In an interview Friday night, shortly after his son’s arrest, Merritt’s father said it was “preposterous” to think his son would commit the freeway shootings. He described his son as a burly teddy bear-like father of two who was dedicated to supporting his family.

Leslie Merritt Sr. accused DPS of rushing to judgment of his son to satisfy the public’s demand for an arrest in the case, saying that DPS was turning his son into a scapegoat.

Graves refused to address those comments, saying, “The evidence speaks for itself.”

Merritt Sr. himself is a convicted felon, a fact he makes no attempt to hide. He said he regrets being incarcerated during part of his son’s childhood and acknowledged that being gone influenced his son’s behavior, which included a vandalism-related arrest.

“He had some issues adjusting, but outright violence, no,” Merritt Sr. said. “If anyone knows my son, they would know that this is preposterous.”

The 21-year-old Glendale resident and father of two works for a landscaping company called Landscaping Excellence, according to his Facebook profile, which The Arizona Republic was able to access Friday before it was deleted Saturday.

According to Merritt Sr., his son’s landscaping work focused on custom jobs in high-end properties in Scottsdale and elsewhere, including installing unique barbecues. His father said he worked 12 to 15 hours a day.

The company specializes in designing large parks and luxury properties in Arizona, Colorado and Nevada, according to its website. Manager Randall Decker declined to answer questions about Merritt’s history at the business.

Court records show that Merritt Jr. faced assault and criminal-damage charges in February 2013. They were dropped months later. He also had Traffic Court and Family Court cases from 2012 and 2013.

In some Facebook posts, Merritt posted numerous photos with his longtime girlfriend and children, in addition to multiple videos of him and family members shooting firearms, including a 9mm handgun. Merritt’s now-deleted Facebook page shows he reposted pro-gun and anti-centralized government memes, slogans and images — including being opposed to registering his firearms. He had other posts showing work he had done as a landscaper.

Merritt Sr. said that his family, including his son, is opposed to gun control of any kind. He said his family is for “criminal control” rather than gun control.

“I won’t back up. I don’t back down. I was raised to stand my ground!” one of Merritt Jr.’s posts reads. He also shared multiple articles about the freeway shootings, but did not comment on them.

Merritt Sr. said his son pawned the gun for extra money, as the family has faced financial stress recently. He did not know when it was sold. He said that with his father’s criminal history, Merritt Jr. was “too smart” to pawn a weapon used in a crime.

“Millions of Americans have guns and millions of Americans use pawnshops. What makes my son any different?” he said.

“He’s a damn good father and a damn good son. I’m proud to call him my son.”

Republic reporter Miguel Otárola contributed to this article.