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Emotional Toll: When Friends, Family Members Become Suspects

When law enforcement officers arrested Leslie Allen Merritt Jr. on suspicion of being involved in some of the shootings along I-10, his dad had a strong reaction. He called the person who said his son was the freeway shooter “a moron” and that it was “preposterous.”

How are people impacted when their friends or family members become suspects? Daniel Sullivan, a psychologist at the University of Arizona, explained the reaction.

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Mark Brodie is a co-host of The Show, KJZZ’s locally produced news magazine. Since starting at KJZZ in 2002, Brodie has been a host, reporter and producer, including several years covering the Arizona Legislature, based at the Capitol.