A statewide manhunt is on for a former Los Angeles police officer and Navy Reserve lieutenant suspected of killing at least three people including a police officer today in Southern California.
All area law enforcement agencies and military bases are on high alert due to the belief that Christopher Dorner might be targeting other police officers stemming from his termination by the LAPD in 2008 for making false statements. Dorner claims he was fired for reporting another police officer for a “use of force incident” against a mentally ill man arrested for a disturbance at a local hotel in 2007.
The former Naval officer is also wanted for the murder of two other people inside a parking garage in Irvine (near Anaheim) on Sunday. One of the victims in that shooting was the daughter of a police captain who represented Dorner in the disciplinary hearing that resulted in his termination from the LAPD.
Dorner, who just left the Navy reserve a week ago and is believed to be heavily armed, shot and killed a police officer today in Riverside, a community east of Los Angeles and wounded two other police officers in Corona. He was a decorated officer based out of San Diego, with service at a Naval base in the Persian Gulf country of Bahrain. During his military service, he received a Rifle Marksman Ribbon, Pistol Expert Medal and Iraq Campaign Medal. According to statements from a manifesto he posted on his Facebook page, he left his position as a Commanding Officer of a Naval Security Forces reserve unit because of the LAPD.
Before he went on his murder spree, Dorner issued a six-page statement on his Facebook page and accuses the LAPD of corruption and racism towards both officers and residents. In the statement, he issued a “Declaration of War” and warns that “the Violence of action will be HIGH” to those who wear a Los Angeles Police Department uniform. His complete manifesto from Facebook can be found here.
Yesterday, police say he attempted to steal a boat from an 81-year-old man at a yacht club in San Diego. After the boat malfunctioned, he was thought to have driven first to Corona, where he fired upon two police officers and then to Riverside, where he ambushed two other police officers with a rifle, killing one. San Diego police further reported that they discovered a badge and identification belonging to Dorner near the San Diego Airport. He is now believed to be hiding near Big Bear Lake, some 80 miles east of Los Angeles, where his burned out truck was discovered this afternoon by members of a SWAT team.
CNN also announced today that Anderson Cooper had received a package from Dorner containing a note, a coin filled with bullet holes wrapped in duct tape and a DVD. The duct tape was inscribed with the message “Thanks but no thanks, Will Bratton” in reference to the former Los Angeles Police Chief. Cooper pointed out that the DVD contained Dorner’s insistence that he is innocent and should not have been fired in 2008. A timeline of the events surrounding this story can be found here.
This tragedy involving a Navy veteran continues to unfold. Authorities have gone on record to beg Dorner to stop the unnecessary killings but at this time, he is still on the loose. With many events occurring just today, a conclusion is due to occur very soon. And when this story meets a conclusion, hopefully, no other deaths, including Christopher Dorner himself.
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