Murder of David Dorn
| Part of George Floyd protests | |
| Date | June 2, 2020 |
|---|---|
| Location | St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Type | Shooting |
| Deaths | David Dorn |
| Arrests | Stephan Cannon, Jimmie Robinson |
On June 2, 2020, David Dorn, a 77-year-old African-American retired police captain, was fatally shot by a man looting a pawn shop in the early hours of the morning. The incident occurred within the context of the George Floyd protests in St. Louis, Missouri.
Persons involved
- The victim, David Dorn (November 29, 1942 – June 2, 2020), was a retired African-American captain in the Metropolitan Police Department, City of St. Louis, working there from November 1969 to October 2007.[1] He later served as police chief of Moline Acres since February 2008.[2]
- The accused shooter, Stephan Cannon, is a 24-year-old African-American man from St. Louis.[3]
Incident
On June 2, 2020, Dorn was discovered on the sidewalk in front of Lee's Pawn and Jewelry around 2:30 AM.[4] He had reportedly been responding to the burglar alarm of his friend's pawn shop when he was fatally shot by unknown looters. His death was streamed on Facebook live.[5][3]
The thirteen-minute video was briefly taken down by Facebook before being reinstated with a warning screen and has been viewed more than 94,000 times as of June 3. In the video, a young man states: "Oh my God, cuz....They just killed this old man at the pawn shop over some TVs....c'mon, man, thats somebody's granddaddy."[3]
Investigation
St. Louis Police Commissioner John Hayden Jr. reported that no arrests were made and there is an active investigation.[5]
Crime Stoppers offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest;[5] this amount has been raised to $56,700.
On June 5, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Homicide Section released surveillance footage to the public to expand clues and evidence in their investigation of David Dorn's death.[6][7] The video captured a total of seven suspects trespassing at Lee's Pawn and Jewelry at 4123 Martin Luther King Drive. The footage was taken on June 2 from 2:13 AM to 2:16 AM. All suspects in the video had their faces concealed. Six wore masks, and one had a white shirt wrapped around his face and head. At least two of the men were seen armed with handguns. One person pulled his handgun to target the entrance before joining the others. Another suspect had a cut on his left palm. The reward for additional information that could capture the criminals has been raised by $6,000 since the surveillance video's release.[6][7]
On June 7, a 24-year-old suspect named Stephan Cannon was arrested. He faces charges of first-degree murder, robbery, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.[8]
Aftermath
A small memorial was quickly set up outside the shop, with a handwritten sign stating; "Y'all killed a black man because 'they' killed a black man??? Rest in peace." St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden ordered all the departments officers to wear black mourning bands on their police badges to honor Dorn.[3]
Several GoFundMe fundraisers quickly sprang up online, although none of them were endorsed by family members. A Fundly account has been endorsed by the family and they have asked for support of organizations such as CrimeStoppers or BackStoppers.[3]
Reactions
His widow, Ann Marie Dorn told reporters that her husband was a friend of the owner of the store and would routinely check on the business when the alarm would go off.[4]
The former St. Louis County Police Chief, Tim Finch called Dorn a "true public servant".[3]
U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted, "Our highest respect to the family of David Dorn, a Great Police Captain from St. Louis, who was viciously shot and killed by despicable looters last night. We honor our police officers, perhaps more than ever before. Thank you!"[5]
Missouri Governor Mike Parson tweeted that Dorn and George Floyd should not have died. He said the ensuing violence and criminal activity needs to stop.[9]
The Ethical Society of the Police, an organization which supports black police officers in the United States, tweeted "(Dorn) was murdered by looters at a pawnshop. He was the type of brother that would've given his life to save them if he had to. Violence is not the answer, whether it's a citizen or officer. RIP Captain!"[2]
References
- ^ "Retired St. Louis police captain killed during unrest sparked by George Floyd death". cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
- ^ a b Cullinane, Susannah. "Retired St. Louis Police captain killed after responding to a pawnshop alarm during looting". CNN.com. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
- ^ a b c d e f "Charges filed in murder of retired St. Louis police captain David Dorn". STLToday.com. Jun 8, 2020. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) Cite error: The named reference ":3" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - ^ a b Hutchinson, Bill (June 4, 2020). "Small-town police chief killed as officers in 3 cities wounded during violence at George Floyd protests". ABCNews.go.com. ABC News. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c d St. Louis MO Police Dept [@SLMPD] (June 2, 2020). "Persons of Interest in the Murder of Ret. Capt. David Dorn" (Tweet). Retrieved 2020-06-06 – via Twitter. {{Cite tweet}}: |date= / |number= mismatch (help)
- ^ a b "St. Louis police release surveillance video of 7 'persons of interest' in death of retired officer David Dorn | Fox News". foxnews.com. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
- ^ a b "St. Louis police release pawn shop surveillance video in hunt for killer of retired police captain". STLToday.com. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
timewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Bonvillian, Crystal (June 3, 2020). "Retired police captain killed on Facebook Live while protecting friend's pawn shop". KIRO. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
