The former Los Angeles cop suspected in the killings of an officer and two others, as well as, shooting at and wounding two more, still remained at large on Friday night as darkness fell and the snow continued to fall and authorities called off the search until morning.
Christopher Jordan Dorner, age 33, is suspected of killing two people in Irvine, California this past Sunday. One of the victims was Monica Quan, the daughter of the retired police officer that represented Dorner in his efforts to get his job back. The other was Quan’s fiancée. Dorner then went on to shoot two Riverside police officers and an LAPD officer on Thursday. Dorner allegedly unleashed numerous rounds of gunfire at the Riverside officers’ car, killing a 34-year old officer. The other officer was seriously wounded. The LAPD officer suffered only minor injuries.
Various leads have taken authorities from Los Angeles to San Diego to Las Vegas to Big Bear Lake, which is where police found the burned out remains of Dorner’s truck. The truck contained a number of guns burned with the truck, but authorities believe that Dorner could have as many as 30 guns with him. The truck had a broken axel, which would have prevented Dorner from being able to drive it. Footprints in the snow indicated that Dorner returned to the community after abandoning the vehicle. Throughout the day on Friday, more than 100 officers searched through freshly fallen snow for clues as to the whereabouts of Dorner. It is unclear whether he is still in the area, but authorities will keep searching until they find him or learn that he has moved on to somewhere else. By Thursday evening, it was expected that authorities would have completed a search of 400 homes in the Big Bear Lake area, as well as searches of 200 more on Friday. Overnight patrols in the area were beefed up with 12 extra two-officer teams.
Dorner worked as an LAPD officer from 2005 to 2008. Prior to that, Dorner was a Liuetenant in the Navy, trained in counterinsurgency and intelligence. In a lengthy letter provided by police, Dorner said he had been unfairly fired by the LAPD after reporting another officer for police brutality. He expounded upon what he called a continuing culture of racism and violence within the department, and called attacks on police and their families “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. “
According to authorities, Dorner allegedly wrote a manifesto declaring a war of revenge on police. Dorner has supposedly promised to bring “unconventional and asymmetrical warfare” to police officers and their families, calling it a “last resort” to clear his name and retaliate at a department that he says mistreated him. In his letter, Dorner states, “when the truth comes out, the killing stops.” However, Los Angeles police Chief Charlie Beck said authorities do not plan on apologizing to Dorner or attempting to clear his name, further stating that Dorner’s firing had already been “thoroughly reviewed.” Police agencies are going to extremes to protect officers. Forty teams of officers were guarding people named as targets in Dorner’s letter.
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