FILE - This Nov. 16, 2015 file photo suspected Phoenix freeway shooter Leslie Allen Merritt Jr., right, talks with his attorney Ulises Ferragut during a motion to modify his release at Superior Court... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - This Nov. 16, 2015 file photo suspected Phoenix freeway shooter Leslie Allen Merritt Jr., right, talks with his attorney Ulises Ferragut during a motion to modify his release at Superior Court... (Associated Press) 
 
 PHOENIX (AP) — A judge on Tuesday allowed a man charged in freeway shootings that rattled Phoenix last year to be released from jail amid questions about evidence authorities say links him to the crimes. 
 
 The judge overseeing the case of Leslie Merritt Jr. reduced his bond to zero and said he can return to his home under electronic monitoring. He was expected to be released later in the day. 
 
 The reduction of the bond — once $1 million — was a major victory as defense lawyers contend that ballistic tests cast doubt on the claim by authorities that Merritt was behind four of the freeway shootings. 
 
 "With all due respect your honor, there's no evidence against him to show he's responsible for this," defense lawyer Jason Lamm said. "He is no more the I-10 shooter than, respectfully, you are." 
 
 Merritt lifted up his shackled arms in celebration as he walked from the courtroom. After the hearing, family members hugged and shook the hands of defense lawyers. 
 
 Merritt has pleaded not guilty to drive-by shooting, aggravated assault and other charges. 
 
 Judge Warren Granville has imposed a gag order on lawyers in the case. As a result, lawyers said they could not discuss the evidence that prompted the shift in bond. 
 
 Arizona Department of Public Safety officials declined to comment, citing the gag order. The Maricopa County Attorney's Office did not immediately return requests for comment. 
 
 Lamm told a crowd of reporters outside the courtroom that Merritt was elated and overwhelmed. 
 
 "Our client was branded public enemy No. 1, he was called a domestic terrorist and he's been in jail in solitary confinement for seven months. Our reaction? We're thrilled," Lamm said. 
 
 The shootings caused panic on Phoenix-area freeways, where 11 vehicles were hit in August and September. The head of the Department of Public Safety said the shootings were the work of a domestic terrorist, and authorities heightened patrols and surveillance in pursuit of a suspect. 
 
 Detectives took Merritt into custody on Sept. 18, prompting Gov. Doug Ducey to declare "We got him!" on Twitter five minutes after the arrest. 
 
 In court the next day, Merritt adamantly denied shooting any cars, telling the judge, "I'm the wrong guy." 
 
 His lawyers immediately began raising questions about the evidence, citing ballistics information and phone records they say provided an alibi for their client. 
 
 They also pointed to road rage shootings that happened on Phoenix-area freeways after Merritt was arrested, saying the cases were proof that the culprit was still out there. 
 
 Granville set a May 18 court date and told Merritt that it's important for him to show up. 
 
 "I'll be here sir," Merritt said. ||||| Dallas Police Chief Renee Hall has fired the police officer who shot a man in his apartment after the chief previously said she couldn’t fire her. 
 
 Amber Guyger, 30, who is charged with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Botham Shem Jean, 26, on Sept. 6, was fired Monday. 
 
 Attorneys for Jean’s family said the firing was bittersweet and “the first step towards justice” for Jean. 
 
 Guyger has said in the past that she mistook Jean’s apartment for hers and opened fire because she believed Jean was an intruder. 
 
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 Guyger was fired because she engaged in adverse conduct when she was arrested for manslaughter on Sept. 6, an internal affairs investigation concluded, the Dallas Police Department said in a news release. 
 
 Guyger, who has the right to appeal her firing under civil service rules, was hired in November 2013 and assigned to the Southeast Patrol Division. 
 
 Previously, Hall said she could not fire Guyger before the completion of an administrative investigation. 
 
 Her chief of staff, Thomas Taylor, said that an administrative investigation was on hold until a criminal investigation into Guyger was complete. 
 
 Thursday, Hall said she did not want to risk interfering with the criminal investigation by making a decision about Guyger’s employment. 
 
 “As an employer, DPD can compel Officer Guyger to provide a statement during a DPD administrative investigation and those statements given to DPD could potentially compromise the criminal investigation,” Hall said in a written statement. 
 
 Attorneys for the family do not believe that Guyger’s firing will have any impact on the criminal investigation, according to Daryl Washington, one of the lawyers representing the family. 
 
 However, the attorney said it was a decision that should have come earlier. 
 
 “Unfortunately, people had to be in outrage about this situation before the chief made a decision we thought should have been made a week or so ago,” Washington said. 
 
 But it is also the belief of the family’s attorneys that Hall has properly vetted the decision to fire Guyger and that it will not impact the criminal matter, an opinion apparently shared by Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings, who issued the following statement: 
 
 “I have heard the calls for this action from many, including the Jean family, and I agree that this is right decision in the interest of justice for Botham Jean and the citizens of Dallas. The swift termination of any officer who engages in misconduct that leads to the loss of innocent life is essential if the Dallas Police Department is to gain and maintain the public trust. I know Chief Hall agrees with me on that and I appreciate her leadership. Once again, she’s made the right call.” 
 
 Lee Merritt, another attorney representing the Jean family, said on Twitter that Hall was right to be reticent about the decision. 
 
 Defense attorneys for Roy Oliver — a former Balch Springs police officer who was convicted of killing Jordan Edwards, 15 — argued that information gathered from Garrity statements during the internal investigation influenced the criminal investigation and violated his 5th amendment right against self-incrimination, he said. 
 
 “Chief (Hall) is operating w/ an abundance of caution,” Merritt tweeted. 
 
 In the past, Merritt called for a murder charge to be filed against Guyger and he renewed that call Monday in a post on his Facebook page, calling Guyger’s firing an initial victory. 
 
 “We are committed to seeing through the next steps of the process of a proper murder indictment, conviction and appropriate sentencing,” Meritt’s post said. “Our office continues to conduct its parallel investigation into this matter as we prepare a 1983 civil rights action against Guyger and the City of Dallas for the wrongful death of Mr. Jean.” 
 
 Later Monday, Pastor Frederick Haynes called again for more transparency in the investigation. 
 
 
 
 
 
 “The absence of transparency is really what continues this vicious cycle...as a consequence it’s possible for somebody to get killed in their living room,” he said. “We still are calling for transparency, we’re calling for justice and we’re calling for accountability.” 
 
 He said the Jean family still has unanswered questions. 
 
 In a statement earlier Monday, attorneys for his family said: “As Botham Shem Jean’s family has his homegoing service in St. Lucia this week, this announcement of Amber Guyger’s termination from the Dallas Police Department is bittersweet for Botham’s family. While nothing can bring him back, DPD’s firing of Guyger is the first step towards justice for Botham Shem Jean.” 
 
 Before being fired, Guyger told officers that while off-duty, but in her police uniform, she “inserted a unique door key, with an electronic chip, into the door key hole of what turned out to be Jean’s apartment. The door, which was slightly ajar prior to Guyger’s arrival, fully opened under the force of the key insertion,” according to a search warrant affidavit. 
 
 The affidavit says that the door being opened alerted Jean to Guyger’s presence. It says Guyger described the apartment as being dark and she thought “she had encountered a burglar, which was described as a large silhouette, across the room in her apartment.” 
 
 Guyger drew her firearm, “gave verbal commands that were ignored by (Jean), and then she fired two shots.” 
 
 Jean was shot once and died. 
 
 A search warrant written on Sept. 7 and signed by Judge Brandon Birmingham tells a different story. An officer within the police department told The Dallas Morning News that the search warrant was written before Guyger was interviewed. 
 
 “An off-duty Dallas Police Officer, who was wearing a full Dallas Police uniform, was attempting to enter apartment number 1478, with a set of keys,” it says. “An unknown male, inside the apartment, confronted the officer at the door. A neighbor stated he heard an exchange of words, immediately followed by at least two gunshots.” 
 
 While the arrest warrant describes Jean as being “across the room,” the search warrant says he confronted Guyger at his door. 
 
 The Morning News reported that evidence found at the crime scene supports Guyger’s account that Jean was across the room when he was shot. 
 
 
 
 
 
 The warrant was for the collection of evidence, including shell casings, bullets, firearms, ballistic vest, keys, possible video, any narcotics and and other trace evidence such as blood. 
 
 The warrant doesn’t say if investigators were looking for narcotics that Guyger possibly had, or if they believed they were in Jean’s apartment. Guyger’s blood was drawn to test for drugs and alcohol, Hall has said. 
 
 The arrest warrant also doesn’t include witness statements, which Merritt pointed out on Monday. 
 
 Merritt said that two witnesses, who are sisters and residents of the apartment complex, gave statements that contradict the arrest affidavit. 
 
 “One happened to be in a quiet room reading a book so she was in the best position to hear things,” Merritt said. “She heard pounding at the door. The other one (witness) was in the living room (of her own apartment) watching TV. She also heard the same pounding at the door.” 
 
 He said the key witness, who was reading the book, heard shouting. 
 
 “She heard, ‘Let me in!’ followed by ‘Let me in!’ in an elevated tone and then she heard more pounding at the door,” Merritt said. “Then shortly thereafter she heard gunshots.” 
 
 Police discovered a little more than 10 grams of marijuana during the execution of a search warrant at Jean’s apartment, which prompted Merritt to cry foul when news of the discovery was publicly released. 
 
 “It was an unnecessary, tactless, black eye and quite frankly the Dallas Police Department should have sealed those warrants,” Merritt said at the time. “I want the media and public officials to know what kind of damage they can do when they criminalize the victim.” 
 
 Other search warrants have been executed to recover door lock data from Guyger’s and Jean’s apartments, and show that photographs, videos and laser measurements of firearm trajectory were taken in Jean’s apartment and gunshot residue from his apartment’s door frame and kitchen wall were collected, a story by Star-Telegram media partner WFAA said. 
 
 Another search warrant allowed investigators to collect communications from property management connected to the shooting and seize the logs from access doors and gates and an elevator access door lock as well as a lock audit report for each of their apartments, the WFAA story said. 
 
 After the shooting, blood was taken from Guyger to test for drugs and alcohol. The results of that test, if returned, have not been made public. 
 
 Sara Mokuria, cofounder of Mothers Against Police Brutality, called for those results to be made public, along with the 911 call that Guyger made the night of the shooting. 
 
 Investigators have also requested surveillance footage from Ring, a home security company, from nearby townhomes about a block away from where Guyger and Jean lived, according to WFAA. 
 
 Guyger was arrested for manslaughter the evening of Sept. 9 and released about an hour later on a $300,000 bond. 
 
 Jean, who is from the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, is a graduate of Harding University and worked at PriceWaterhouseCooper in Dallas. 
 
 Several protests in the region and nationwide have been held in reaction to Jean’s death. 
 
 In one of the more recent protests, nine people were arrested in Arlington for blocking traffic at the intersection of Collins Street and Randol Mill Road during a Dallas Cowboy’s football game on Sept. 16. All nine were released Tuesday, 40 hours after they were arrested. 
 
 Lesa Pamplin, the attorney who arranged bond for the nine protesters, said they were all released on personal recognizance bonds, which means they did not have to pay any out-of-pocket funds to be freed. 
 
 On Monday, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States released its first statement about Jean’s death. 
 
 “Botham Shem Jean had committed no crime, nor was he contemplating or conspiring to commit any crime,” the group said. “From every indication, Botham Shem Jean was a proud product of our Caribbean Civilization — bright, God-fearing, respectful or others, humane and full of promise.” 
 
 The group said it wants it to be known “to the United States of America and indeed to the entire world that we stand firmly in solidarity with the family and friends of Botham Shem Jean, and with the government and poeple of Saint Lucia in their demand for justice.” 
 
 Among its many purposes, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States works to protect human and legal rights. 
 
 This story includes information from Star-Telegram archives. 
 
 SHARE COPY LINK Surveillance video obtained by WFAA shows police officer, Amber Guyger, being booked into the Kaufman County Jail three days after she fatally shot Botham Jean. 
 
 Contributing: Nichole Manna of the Star-Telegram ||||| One of the victims of Friday’s early morning shooting at Northern Arizona University made an emotional plea to the judge at the initial appearance for accused murderer Steven Jones. 
 
 “He killed my best friend and I watched him die in front of me,” said a representative from Victim/Witness Services of Coconino County, reading a statement from NAU student and shooting victim Nicholas Piring. “He did this for no reason and he needs to stay in custody.” 
 
 Jones, an 18-year-old NAU freshman from Glendale, is accused of shooting Piring, Nicholas Prato, Kyle Zientek and Colin Brough in a fight that started at a party in the Flagstaff’s Franklin Corridor and spilled onto the NAU campus at approximately 1:20 a.m. Friday. Brough died from his wounds. 
 
 The suspect looked like a deer in the headlights as he made his initial appearance by video in Flagstaff Justice Court Friday afternoon. Jones appeared to be crying as Judge Paul Christian read the four felony counts against him. 
 
 “You are being charged with first-degree homicide, which is a felony, and three counts of aggravated assault, which are being charged as felonies,” the judge said as Jones lowered his head and sniffled. 
 
 Jones did not enter a plea at the hearing. His family has retained Phoenix-based criminal defense attorney Burges McCowan to represent him. McCowan, who participated by phone, asked the judge to release Jones to his parents’ custody despite the seriousness of the charges. 
 
 “He has no other place to go,” McCowan said. “He is not a flight risk.” 
 
 Prosecutor Ammon Barker asked the judge to hold the suspect without bail citing Arizona law, which makes bail unavailable to a person in custody who is charged with a capital offence, such as first-degree murder, “if the proof is evident or the presumption great that the person is guilty of the offense charged.” Barker said those requirements had been met in this case. 
 
 “The witnesses identified the defendant as the shooter,” Barker said. “The defendant, himself, admitted he was the shooter.” 
 
 He asked the judge to set a cash only bond in excess of $1 million if the state had not met the burden of proof needed to hold Jones without bail. 
 
 According to the Associated Press, a court document states Jones told NAU police that several people approached him and two of his friends as they were outside a residence early Friday. He said a fight ensued and he was punched in the face. Jones said he was chased by several people as he ran to his car and then he yelled at them that he had a gun. 
 
 As two people approached him, Jones said, he shot both of them. Witnesses told police the victims were about 10 feet away. Jones said he used a flashlight affixed to the gun to illuminate the area before firing. Jones was arrested immediately after the shooting. 
 
 Barker called Jones’ story “self-serving” and told the judge it differed from eyewitness accounts. According to Barker, the defendant got into a verbal confrontation with members of a rival fraternity that escalated to a physical fight. The confrontation began on the city-side of Franklin Avenue, then crossed the street to the parking lot near Mountain View Hall on NAU’s campus. 
 
 “It was at that point the defendant ran to his car, retrieved his gun and then went back to the fight,” Barker told the judge. 
 
 A red Ford Mustang believed to be the suspect’s vehicle was towed from the Mountain View Hall parking lot Friday afternoon. NAUPD Officer Christopher Anderson did not confirm it was Jones’ vehicle but did say a search warrant would be executed on the car. 
 
 The weapon has been identified as a .40 caliber handgun. None of the other young men appear to have been armed. Barker also said blood evidence suggests the vehicle was a “substantial distance” away from where the victims were shot. 
 
 “I just want to be clear that there is no indication of self-defense here,” Barker continued. “The defendant had retreated from the fight; he obtained a gun and then went back into the fray. It was at that point that he began firing at the victims.” 
 
 Brough died on the scene after being shot once in the chest and once in the shoulder. The three other victims were transported to Flagstaff Medical Center for treatment. Barker said one of the young men was in critical condition, though he did not say which one. 
 
 “Judge, the bottom line is the defendant shot four unarmed individuals, killing one of them,” Barker said. “He had sufficient opportunity to reflect on what he was doing and that is why he is charged with first degree murder in this case.” 
 
 A representative from Victim/Witness Services of Coconino County read victim statements urging the judge not to release Jones on bail. Among them was a plea from the Brough’s father. 
 
 “He killed my son,” said Douglas Brough in the statement read by the Victim/Witness Services representative. “He shouldn’t be allowed to go anywhere. He needs to stay in custody.” 
 
 Victim/Witness also delivered a statement from Zientek’s parents. 
 
 “He killed someone and he severely hurt our son,” they said in the statement. “He should sit in there and think about what he did.” 
 
 The judge set a cash only bond for Jones at $2 million. The next appearance in the case is set for Oct. 15.
– A judge on Tuesday allowed a man charged in freeway shootings that rattled Phoenix last year to be released from jail amid questions about evidence authorities say links him to the crimes. The judge overseeing the case of Leslie Merritt Jr. reduced his bond to zero and said he can return to his home under electronic monitoring, the AP reports. He was expected to be released later in the day. The reduction of the bond—once $1 million—was a major victory as defense lawyers contend that ballistic tests cast doubt on the claim by authorities that Merritt was behind four of the freeway shootings. "With all due respect your honor, there's no evidence against him to show he's responsible for this," defense lawyer Jason Lamm said. "He is no more the I-10 shooter than, respectfully, you are." Merritt lifted up his shackled arms in celebration as he walked from the courtroom. After the hearing, family members hugged and shook the hands of defense lawyers. Merritt has pleaded not guilty to drive-by shooting, aggravated assault, and other charges. The shootings caused panic on Phoenix-area freeways, where 11 vehicles were hit in August and September. Detectives took Merritt into custody on Sept. 18; in court the next day, Merritt adamantly denied shooting any cars, telling the judge, "I'm the wrong guy." His lawyers immediately began raising questions about the evidence, citing ballistics information and phone records they say provided an alibi for their client. (Also Tuesday, a motorist suspected of shooting at other vehicles on an Alabama highway died after a shootout with officers.)