Where I Stand — Mike O’Callaghan: Trooper averts tragedy

Friday, Jan. 15, 1999 | 11:56 a.m.

SNIPER KILLS 11 LAS VEGANS AND TOURISTS DURING STANDOFF.

This could have been the newspaper headlines if Christopher Lee Merritt of Mankato, Minn., hadn't been intercepted by an alert Nevada Highway patrolman.

Merritt had already demonstrated his marksmanship in Reno where he shot one man in the chest and hit several automobiles as he fired at traffic on an interstate highway. He was coming to Las Vegas to continue his shooting rampage with hopes of improving on his murderous attempts. Just in case you don't know from what we were possibly spared, it's time to read the following excerpts from the Reno Gazette-Journal.

This is but one of many outstanding public services Owens has blessed Nevadans with as a trooper the past 23 years. Prior to that he served in the military at Indian Springs AFB. People traveling the roads and highways of Nevada have found the presence of Owens comforting. More than three years ago, I delved into Owens' record and published the following:

An example of the letters comes from Chicago and reads as follows:

"I would like to express my gratitude to you and your entire department for the excellence and professionalism displayed in connection with the investigation of the accident in which my brother, Herbert, was killed and my wife, Maxine, was seriously injured. I am fortunate to have escaped with cuts and bruises, and I am hopeful that the injuries sustained by my late brother's wife, Hazel, do not worsen.

"Although our family has never experienced a tragedy of such magnitude, the compassionate treatment given us by your department, most notably by Officer Rosell Owens, made our life just a little easier under very trying circumstances."

A letter from San Jose, Calif., reads in part:

"We lit some flares and tried to flag someone down. An hour passed and no one stopped until Officer R. Owens (off duty) stopped to help us. He took us to his home and called a tow truck. Being very considerate, Officer Owens took us to our car and waited to see that a tow truck did come and we were on our way to Las Vegas."

In August of 1995, when Owens and Trooper Kenneth Roll were assigned to the NHP Drug Interdiction Unit in Southern Nevada I also wrote:

This, the records show, they have done very successfully during recent years. For example, from July 1, 1994, through June 30, 1995, they accomplished the following:

Heavy-duty accomplishments by dedicated troopers drew fire from criminal defense attorneys and some of the media that claimed the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and seizures was being violated. Because of this heat the NHP gutted the unit and it hasn't been the same since.

Good troopers are great public servants and despite the actions of their bosses, media and political pressure they continue to serve us well. If Merritt hadn't been intercepted, is it possible you or a family member may have become one of his victims coming out of a grocery store or riding to school on a bus?