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Christopher Dorner shootings and manhunt

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Butros (talk | contribs) at 19:11, 11 February 2013 (None of Dorner's shootings occurred in LA county). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

2013 Southern California shootings
LocationIrvine, California;
Corona, California;
Riverside, California;
Southern California
DateFebruary 3–7, 2013 (Manhunt ongoing)
TargetPolice officers and their families
Attack type
Shooting spree, murder
WeaponsFirearms
Deaths3
Injured2

In February 2013, a series of shootings occurred in the Orange and Riverside counties of California, United States, in which the victims were law enforcement officers and their families. Christopher Jordan Dorner, 33, an ex-Navy Reservist and former Los Angeles police officer, was named[by whom?] as a suspect wanted in connection to a series of shootings that occurred throughout Southern California that killed three people and wounded two others. In a manifesto posted online,[1][2] Dorner declared "unconventional and asymmetric warfare" upon the Los Angeles Police Department, their families, and their associates over what he described as his unfair dismissal from the police force in 2008.

In two separate incidents during the manhunt, police shot at three civilians unrelated to Dorner, mistaking their pickup trucks for the vehicle being driven by Dorner. One of the civilians was hit by the police gunfire, another was wounded by shattered glass, and a third individual was injured when police rammed his vehicle. [3][4]

A $1 million reward for information leading to the capture of Dorner was offered on February 10.[5]

Suspect

Main article: Christopher Jordan Dorner

Christopher Jordan Dorner (born June 4, 1979) was born in New York state and grew up in Los Angeles County, where he attended elementary school at Norwalk Christian School and high school at John F. Kennedy High School in La Palma and Cypress High School. Dorner stated that he was the only African American student there from first grade to seventh grade and that he had altercations due to his race. When he was a teenager, Dorner decided to become a police officer and joined a youth program offered by the Police Department in La Palma.[6] Dorner graduated from Southern Utah University in 2001, with a major in political science and a minor in psychology. While there, he was a football running back from 1999 to 2000.

Dorner is a former Naval Reserve lieutenant (O-3). He commanded a security unit at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada, served with a Mobile Inshore Undersea Warfare Unit from 23 June 2004 to 28 February 2006, and was deployed to Bahrain with Coastal Riverine Group Two from 3 November 2006 to 23 April 2007. [7] He was discharged from the Navy Reserve on 1 February 2013..[8] During his time as a reservist, he received ribbons for marksmanship and a medal for pistol expertise.[9] At the time of the shootings, Christopher Dorner lived in La Palma. Neighbors described him as a member of an admired, well-liked family who usually kept to himself. Dorner was married, with no children. Court records show his wife filed for divorce in 2007.[10]

Career with LAPD

Dorner joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 2005, and completed police academy training in 2006.[6] He was deployed as a reservist to Bahrain for 13 months shortly afterward, and on his return was paired with Sergeant Teresa Evans to complete his probationary training.[6] Dorner, while still a probationary officer, filed a complaint accusing Evans of kicking Christopher Gettler, a suspect who suffered from schizophrenia, during an arrest while Gettler was handcuffed and lying on the ground.[11][12] The LAPD investigated the complaint.[6] Three hotel employees who witnessed "most" of the incident who were interviewed by LAPD detectives claimed that they did not see the training officer kick the man.[6] Gettler was brought to the police station and given medical treatment for injuries to his face, but he did not mention being kicked at that time.[6] However, some time later, his father said that Gettler had told him that an officer had kicked him.[6][13] In a videotaped deposition, Christopher Gettler testified that he was kicked in the face by a female police officer on the day in the place in question.[14] No action was taken against Teresa Evans for her role in the alleged incident. Dorner was fired by the LAPD in 2008 for making false statements.[13] In his online manifesto, Dorner cited this as a case of wrongful dismissal, and one of his primary motivations for the shootings.

On February 9, 2013, chief of the LAPD, Charlie Beck, ordered a review of the disciplinary case that led to Dorner's dismissal.[15]

Timeline

February 1, 2013

On February 1, Anderson Cooper of CNN received at his office a package containing a DVD that states Dorner's case against the LAPD.[16] The package also contained a bullet-ridden Challenge coin issued by LAPD Chief William Bratton and a note inscribed with "1MOA" (1 Minute of Angle), implying that the coin was shot at 100m.[17]

February 3

In the city of Irvine, in the evening hours of February 3, 2013, 28-year-old Monica Quan, and her fiance, 27-year-old Keith Lawrence, were found shot to death in Lawrence's parked car, outside their condominium complex.[18] Quan, an assistant women's basketball coach at Cal State Fullerton,[9] was the daughter of Randal Quan, a former Los Angeles Police Department captain[19] and lawyer who formerly represented Dorner during Dorner's dismissal hearing from the LAPD. Lawrence was a campus security officer for University of Southern California.

February 4

On February 4, a manifesto was published online, purportedly by Dorner,[1] outlining his experiences and stating his motives for the shootings as being to clear his name.[6][a] In it he wrote, "I will not be alive to see my name cleared. That's what this is about, my name."[11] Dorner's manifesto had also specifically named Randal Quan and his family as targets, so Irvine police named Dorner as the primary suspect in the murders of Monica Quan and Keith Lawrence on the afternoon of February 6, 2013.[1] The manifesto said that Quan had failed to represent Dorner's interests, in favor of those of the department.[20] Threats made against specific LAPD officers have been redacted by media sources at the request of law enforcement who have cited officer safety concerns.[21]

February 7

At approximately 1:30 am on February 7, two LAPD officers were driving to a protection detail where they were assigned as security for one of the officers potentially targeted by Dorner, when they were flagged down by a civilian.[9] The person who flagged them down reported seeing a man matching Dorner's description at a gas station in Corona.[9] The officers investigated the report, and they were following a pickup truck when the driver stopped, got out, and fired a rifle at them, grazing the head of one officer.[9]

Shortly after that incident, two police officers were ambushed while stopped in their marked patrol unit at a red light in the city of Riverside. One officer, Michael Crain, died shortly after the shooting; the other was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition for surgery but survived.[22][23][24]

February 9

On February 9, 2013, CNN reported that the Los Angeles Police Department is re-opening its investigation into Dorner's dismissal from the LAPD so as to reassure the public that the police were doing everything in their power to capture Dorner.[25]

February 10

On February 10, 2013, authorities offered a $1 million reward for information leading to the capture of Dorner.[5] For the first time, Dorner's actions were described as being a form of "domestic terrorism".[26] With Dorner believed to be hiding somewhere in the San Bernardino Mountains, an unmanned aerial vehicle was deployed to aid the search from the air amid fears that Dorner would head for the Mexican border.[27]

Later on Feburary 10, a Lowe's home improvement store in Northridge, Los Angeles, was evacuated based on reports of a possible sighting of Dorner.[28]

Manhunt

In the wake of the Quan–Lawrence shooting and the posting of Dorner's manifesto, law enforcement mounted a widespread manhunt for Dorner that spread from California to include Nevada, Arizona, and Mexico.[23][22]

On February 7, the burning remains of Dorner's vehicle, a dark gray 2005 Nissan Titan truck, were located on a remote fire trail near Big Bear Lake, about 80 miles from Los Angeles.[29][30] Investigators spread out to search for Dorner in the surrounding area, and about 125 officers went from door to door.[11] All schools in the Bear Valley Unified School District were placed into a state of lockdown.[31]

Military sources state that on February 5, Dorner checked into Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego, but skipped check out procedures when leaving.[32]

Protection details were set up for over 40 potential targets of Dorner's, and thousands of police were assigned to patrol Southern California's highways.[11] The LAPD also took police off of motorcycles in order to protect them.[11]

Police shootings of civilians

In two separate incidents in the early morning hours of February 7, 2013, police shot at people unrelated to Dorner. Dorner was not present at either incident.[33]

At about 5:30 am, Los Angeles Police Department officers on a protection detail of an unnamed LAPD official's residence in the Los Angeles County city of Torrance opened fire on the back of a light blue Toyota Tacoma and shot two Hispanic female occupants, aged 47 and 71, who were delivering newspapers for the Los Angeles Times.[3][34] The vehicle, according to officers, was spotted exiting a freeway and heading to the area of the residence that officers were protecting, was thought by police to match the description of Dorner's 2005 gray Nissan Titan and was moving without its headlights on.[35][33] The two victims of the shooting were later identified as Maggie Carranza, age 47, and her 71-year-old mother Emma Hernandez. Hernandez was shot in the back and Carranza received wounds to her hand. Their attorney claimed police "had no idea who was in that vehicle" when they opened fire, and that nothing about his clients or their vehicle matched the descriptions given of the suspect or his truck.[36] The two women stated that they were given no warning prior to being fired upon.[37] A neighbor said the truck was used every day to deliver newspapers, and the women who used it kept their headlights off in order not to wake people up.[38] The two women were injured but are expected to survive.[39][40] The LAPD has started an internal investigation into the mulitple-officer-involved shooting. At least seven police officers opened fire on the pickup truck[35] The LAPD has declined to say the total number of officers involved or how many bullets were fired or if any verbal warnings were given to the women before the shooting began.[35]

Approximately 25 minutes after that incident, officers from the Torrance Police Department struck and opened fire on another vehicle.[41] Like the first shooting, the incident involved a vehicle that police claimed resembled the description of Dorner's truck, but was later discovered to be a black Honda Ridgeline driven by a white male.[42][43] The victim of the second weapon discharge by police was David Perdue, who was on his way to the beach for some early morning surfing before work. A Torrance Police Department police cruiser slammed into Perdue's pickup and Torance police officers opened fire. Police claim that Perdue's pickup truck "matched the description"[41] of the one belonging to Dorner. However, the Los Angeles Times reports that "the pickups were different makes and colors ... Perdue looks nothing like Dorner: He's several inches shorter and about a hundred pounds lighter ... Perdue is white; Dorner is black."[41]

Notes

  1. ^ An unredacted copy of Dorner's manifesto is published online: "Read Murder Suspect Chris Dorner's Online Manifesto About Slayings (unredacted)". Unredacted version. KTTV/MyFoxLA.com. February 6, 2013. Retrieved February 7, 2013.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Manhunt for former cop accused of killing his own". ABC News (Australia). February 8, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  2. ^ "Christopher Dorner's Manifesto, In Full (Content Graphic and Disturbing) (UPDATED)". LAist. February 7, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  3. ^ a b Altman, Larry (February 8, 2012). "LAPD looking for Dorner accused of 'street justice' for opening fire on truck in Torrance". The Daily Breeze. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ "Police seeking Dorner opened fire in a second case of mistaken identity". latimes.com. February 9, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  5. ^ a b Matt Stevens, Ari Bloomekatz, Hailey Branson Potts (February 10, 2013). "Dorner manhunt: Reward will be offered for ex-cop's capture". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 10, 2013.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h "Police say ex-cop was bent on exacting revenge". Los Angeles Times. February 7, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  7. ^ McGregor, Ellen U.S. Navy Releases Records of Triple Shooting Suspect Christopher Dorner ABC 10 News 02/07/2013
  8. ^ Gold, Lauren (February 8, 2013). "Christopher Dorner left the Navy days before Irvine shooting, was a decorated officer". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Ex-LAPD cop Christopher Dorner eludes police on mountain manhunt". CBS News. Associated Press. February 8, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  10. ^ Flaccus, Gillian (February 7, 2013). "DORNER MANHUNT: Career woes, perceived racism fuel ex-cop's anger". The Press-Enterprise. Associated Press. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  11. ^ a b c d e "Christopher Jordan Dorner: Former LAPD officer suspected of shooting 3 California officers, 1 killed". ABC15 Arizona. ABC15 Arizona. February 7, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  12. ^ Suspect's grudge dates back to 2007 complaint
  13. ^ a b "Vehicle found in massive manhunt for fired Los Angeles officer accused of killing 3 people". The Washington Post. February 7, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  14. ^ http://www.myfoxla.com/story/21070897/christopher-dorners-legal-documents-challenging-the-lapd
  15. ^ LAPD to reopen investigation into fugitive ex-cop's firing. FOX News. Retrieved: 10 February 2013.
  16. ^ "Manhunt: CNN's Anderson Cooper says he got package from fugitive". Los Angeles Times. February 7, 2013. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  17. ^ Cooper, Anderson. "Bratton: Dorner package 'very disturbing'". CNN. CNN. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  18. ^ Coker, Matt (February 5, 2013). "UPDATED with 10 New Developments: Monica Quan, Titans Basketball Coach, and Fiance Keith Lawrence Found Shot to Death". Orange County Weekly. Retrieved February 7, 2013. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  19. ^ "All Hail to LAPD's First Asian-American Staff Officer" (Press release). Los Angeles Police Department. February 7, 2002. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  20. ^ "Hunt for ex-LAPD officer Christopher Dorner resumes in San Bernadino mountains". Silicon Valley Mercury News. February 9, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  21. ^ "Christopher Dorner's Manifesto (Disturbing Content and Language)". KTLA News. February 7, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  22. ^ a b Mohajer, Shaya Tayefe (February 7, 2013). "Massive manhunt on for ex-Los Angeles cop accused of killing 3". Associated Press. Retrieved February 7, 2013. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ a b Vercammen, Paul (February 7, 2013). "California police look for ex-cop suspected in shootings". CNN. Retrieved February 7, 2013. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  24. ^ Pereira, Pablo (February 10, 2013). "Funeral Wednesday for Ambushed Riverside Officer Michael Crain". My Fox Los Angeles. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  25. ^ Martinez, Michael; Vercammen, Paul (February 10, 2013). "Los Angeles police reopen case that led to fugitive ex-cop's firing". CNN.com. CNN. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  26. ^ Welch, William (February 10, 2013). "LAPD hopes reward will aid manhunt for fired officer". USA Today. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  27. ^ Parker, Mike (February 10, 2013). "Man hunt for ex-soldier who shot police chief's daughter and killed policeman". The Daily Express. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  28. ^ Newcomb, Alyssa (February 10, 2013). "Christopher Dorner Manhunt: Possible Sighting of Fugitive Ex-Cop Leads to Store Evacuation". ABC News. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  29. ^ Abad-Santos, Alexander (February 7, 2013). "Manhunt for Ex-Cop Chris Dorner Takes Over L.A. Freeways, Ski Resort & Beyond". The Atlantic Wire. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  30. ^ Christopher Dorner Manhunt: Burned Out Truck Belongs to Dorner
  31. ^ Herrick, Cathy (February 7, 2013). "Unconfirmed Reports Authorities Are In the Search for Christopher Dorner In Big Bear". Big Bear News. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  32. ^ Calvert, Kyla. "Naval Base Lockdown Lifted, Search For Murder Suspect Continues". KPBS Public Broadcasting. KPBS News. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  33. ^ a b Search for killings suspect leads to shootings in South Bay Orange County Register. February 7, 2013.
  34. ^ "Dorner manhunt: Search resumes in Big Bear mountains". Los Angeles Times. February 9, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  35. ^ a b c Joel Rubin, Angel Jennings and Andrew Blankstein (February 9, 2013). "Dorner manhunt: Officers opened fire on mother, daughter". Los Angeles Times. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  36. ^ Oppenheimer, Tracy (February 10, 2013). "LAPD Had "No Idea" Who They Were Shooting At In Dorner Pursuit, Says Victims' Attorney". Reason. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  37. ^ "Christopher Dorner manhunt: Two innocent women shot by LAPD officers had "no warning"". CBS. February 8, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  38. ^ Watt, Brian (February 7, 2012). "Police close off area near where LAPD officers fired at pickup". KPCC. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  39. ^ From Associated Press. "LAPD shoot several innocent people during massive manhunt for former officer accused of firing on four officers and killing a couple". NYPOST.com. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  40. ^ "Police to ex-cop on rampage: 'This has gone far enough' - U.S. News". Usnews.nbcnews.com. October 24, 2012. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  41. ^ a b c Faturechi, Robert (February 9, 2013). "Police seeking Dorner opened fire in a second case of mistaken identity". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  42. ^ "LAPD, Torrance Police Shot At Innocent People In Frenzied Hunt For Former Cop Christopher Dorner". Huffingtonpost.com. February 4, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  43. ^ February 7, 2013  (November 25, 2009). "Police on high alert after ex-LAPD cop's alleged serial shootings - latimes.com". Latimesblogs.latimes.com. Retrieved February 8, 2013. {{cite web}}: Text "  8:13 am" ignored (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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