SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) – The father of the suspect involved in the high-speed chase that ended in gunfire Friday night doesn’t believe his son should have been killed.
Jesus “Jessie” Merino led the West Valley Police on a dangerous high-speed chase around 9:30 p.m. Friday night after allegedly robbing a Chevron station at gunpoint near 5400 South Bangerter Highway.
The chase came to an end at 2400 West and 3500 South where Merino reportedly shot at the surrounding police who opened fire in return. According to officials, two West Valley police officers were wounded by the suspect in the gunfire while Merino was killed.
“For me, they have killed my son. There is a great pain in my chest,” Christopher Merino, the father of the suspect, said woefully. “They didn’t have to kill him.”
Holding back on gunfire seems simple to elder Merino.
“After six shots, he would have run out of bullets,” said Jesus' father. “That’s when they could have disarmed him.”
And even though two police officers were allegedly wounded by his son, it didn’t make any difference to the upset father.
“I know they were shot,” the elder Merino said of the injured police officers. “But they sometimes abuse their power too. The officers have families and that’s why they shouldn’t have shot. They put their own lives at risk.”
Merino was living a sparse life at his father’s home in Salt Lake City. According to his father, Merino got out of prison in January and didn’t have a job.
“I don’t know what happened to him. He was doing so well after he got out of prison,” reflected Merino. “And then someone stole his jeep and the police never did anything about it.”
Jesus Merino was a wanted man as of last week when police identified him as the suspect in the aggravated kidnapping of a Salt Lake City taxi driver after a hit-and-run incident on June 20. According to police, he held the driver at gunpoint until Merino was driven to where he requested.
On Thursday and Friday (June 23 and 24), police were informed by 7-11 employees that a man had robbed their stores, and both reported that Merino brandished a gun at them as he demanded money. Based on the profiles provided by the convenience store clerks, detectives suspected Merino was behind the robberies.
However, Merino’s recent crime spree is far from new. Merino has been in and out of jail for the past 11 years, on charges of robbery, aggravated assault, drugs, prison violence, and was recently charged with aggravated kidnapping.
The West Valley Police officers wounded by Merino on Friday night are recovering and have been released from their respective hospitals.
