Dad: Thanksgiving shootings were planned
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) – A man accused of shooting four relatives to death after Thanksgiving dinner in South Florida told family members he had been waiting 20 years to kill them, the father of one of the victims said Tuesday.
Police said Paul Michael Merhige (MAYR’-ihj) shot his pregnant sister, her twin sister, his 6-year-old cousin and 79-year-old aunt. Authorities are still searching for Merhige.
“He had this whole thing preplanned. His goal was to shoot his sisters and punish his parents,” said Jim Sitton, Merhige’s cousin-in-law who was at the home of the shootings along with 16 other relatives.
Sitton, the father of 6-year-old Makayla, said there were no arguments before the shooting and that Merhige wasn’t acting strangely during more than three hours of dinner, dessert and singing.
At one point during the rampage, Sitton said Merhige pointed the gun at Merhige’s uncle, but the gun misfired.
“He turned and started to walk away and said, ‘I have been waiting 20 years to do this,'” Sitton said.
Investigators in Florida alerted Michigan authorities to be on the lookout for Merhige, 35, because he sought a physician in the Detroit area in the past year. Authorities have not said why he needed the doctor.
Merhige was believed to be driving a royal blue 2007 Toyota Camry with a rear spoiler and Florida license plate. Authorities said there had been “ongoing resentment” in the family, but investigators weren’t sure what specifically prompted the shooting Thursday.
Prosecutors issued an arrest warrant Saturday for four counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder for Merhige. A $10,000 reward was offered for information leading to his arrest.
The shooting occurred in Jupiter, a small beach town about 55 miles north of Fort Lauderdale.