A 2007 incident led to the investigation and eventual dismissal of then Los Angeles Police Department officer, Christopher Dorner. After writing a lengthy and disturbing 11-page manifesto, Dorner recently began a killing spree targeting other LAPD officers writing, “The attacks will stop when the department states the truth about my innocence.”
Police are currently on the hunt for the 33-year-old who has allegedly shot and killed three people while wounding another. His actions have left officers fearful not only because they are a target, but because of his police and military training; Dorner was rated as a rifle marksman and pistol expert during his time with the United States Navy.
“My opinion of the suspect is unprintable,” said Riverside police Chief Sergio Diaz, hours after one of his officers was killed. “The manifesto, I think, speaks for itself (as) evidence of a depraved and abandoned mind and heart.”
Dorner’s troubles began at a Double Tree hotel in 2007 in which he accused his training offer of kicking a man after he’d given into arrest. However, the investigator’s report cites contradicting accounts from the arrested man and his father in addition to denials from hotel employees. Dorner claims he was wrongly dismissed for mispreporting what he considered police abuse.
Last Friday, CNN’s Anderson Cooper received a package addressed to him from Dorner containing a hand-labeled DVD, a Post-it note and a coin initially given to him by former LAPD Chief William Bratton. The coin, which now has three to four bullet holes, arrived wrapped in duct tape bearing a message that reads, “Thanks, but no thanks, William Bratton.” The Post-it note with the DVD reads, “I never lied.”
The attacks on police officers and their families, Dorner believes, are “a necessary evil that I do not enjoy but must partake and complete for substantial change to occur within the LAPD and reclaim my name.”
On edge, LAPD officers have opened fire on two blue pickup trucks resembling the one Dorner was thought to be driving; two passengers were wounded. The alleged truck was eventually found burned out near Big Bear Lake on Thursday causing officers to search door to door in the area. To add, police believe Dorner tried to hijack a boat near San Diego’s naval base on Wednesday, later discovering a wallet with his identification and an LAPD badge near the San Diego airport. It is unclear whether the badge was real.
Read more surrounding the story on CNN’s website.
BMWK —What are your thoughts on the initial case? What do you think will be the outcome of the current one?