He's not a Nazi, dad says:
"Alan Schmegelsky said Thursday that his son took him to an army surplus store about eight months ago in his small Vancouver Island hometown of Port Alberni, where the teen was excited about the Nazi artifacts.
“I was disgusted and dragged him out,” Schmegelsky said. “My grandparents fled the Ukraine with three small children during the Second World War.”
The teens are charged with second-degree murder in the death of one man and are suspects in the fatal shootings of a young couple. On Thursday, the manhunt was focused on the thick and boggy forests of northeastern Manitoba.
Despite his son’s fascination with the collectibles, Schmegelsky said he didn’t believe his son identified as a neo-Nazi.
“He thought he was Russian. Germans are their enemies,” he said.
The father, who is estranged from the teen’s mother, explained that he didn’t see his son between the ages of eight and 16, and during that time the boy came under the mistaken belief that he had Russian heritage.
He enjoys watching Russian rap videos, where the artists “wear Adidas and drink vodka,” Schmegelsky said, adding his son is a supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin and United States President Donald Trump.
“I argued with him about that, in a friendly manner,” the father said. “He liked strong speakers.”
Schmegelsky said it was possible his son went back to the store later to buy the memorabilia, but it’s also possible he took a photo in the store or it’s staged.
The army surplus store, called Harreson’s Military Store, has since closed and the former owner didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Alfred Bergkvist, owner of “A” Company Military Surplus in nearby Coombs, said he purchased all of Harreson’s merchandise, including some Nazi material, when it closed.
Bergkvist said he didn’t recognize the red Nazi armband in the photograph but his store also stocked Hitler Youth knives identical to the one in the picture.
He recalled that two boys came into his store about three weeks ago and bought one of the replica knives that are inscribed with the German words for “blood and honour.”
“They were really excited about it,” he said, adding he didn’t know whether the pair were Schmegelsky and McLeod and he doesn’t have security cameras.
Schmegelsky allegedly sent the photos to a user of the video-game network Steam. The two suspects most recently logged onto their accounts 13 days ago, about the time they told family they were leaving Port Alberni in search of work."
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B.C. murder suspect not a neo-Nazi, dad says
