Arizona man arrested for allegedly killing Special Olympics team member
02/14/2022 12:08 pm PST
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (TCD) -- A 38-year-old man was taken into custody last week on suspicion of fatally shooting a Special Olympics team member.
On Feb. 6, Scottsdale Police said the department was investigating a shooting death near 7900 E. Camelback Road after 911 calls came in at approximately 1:10 a.m. A witness reportedly told police they were driving on E. Camelback Road and "saw an individual laying on the side of the road." The victim, identified as 59-year-old Scott Harkness, was transported to a local hospital, where he died.
The Scottsdale Police SWAT Team and detectives from the department arrested John Merryman Feb. 11, according to the Scottsdale Police Department. The weapon at the crime scene was "forensically linked to Scott’s injuries and forensically linked to Merryman."
Merryman was booked into the Maricopa County Jail for first-degree murder.
Scottsdale Police said in their initial statement that Harkness was an "active participant in the City of Scottsdale Adaptive Recreation Program." He was also an athlete for the Scottsdale Special Olympics Team, the Bobcats.
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