Murder of David Dorn
| Part of George Floyd protests | |
| Date | June 2, 2020 |
|---|---|
| Location | St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Type | Murder |
| Deaths | David Dorn |
| Burial | Valhalla Cemetery[1] |
| Arrests | Stephan Cannon, Jimmie Robinson |
In the early hours of June 2, 2020, David Dorn, a 77-year-old retired police captain, was fatally shot after interrupting the burglary of a pawn shop in The Ville, St. Louis.[2] The incident occurred on the same night as protests in St. Louis, Missouri over the killing of George Floyd. However, the protests were several miles away and had disbanded a few hours earlier near the Metropolitan Police Headquarters downtown after clashes between police and a few remaining agitators turned violent.[3][4]
Persons involved
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.[5] He later served as police chief of Moline Acres from February 2008.[6]
Accused
The accused shooter, Stephan Cannon, is a 24-year-old man[7] from St. Louis.[8]
Incident
On June 2, 2020, Dorn was discovered on the sidewalk in front of Lee's Pawn and Jewelry in The Ville around 2:30 a.m.[2] Despite a city-wide curfew, he had reportedly been responding to the burglar alarm of his friend's pawn shop when he was fatally shot by looters. His death was streamed on Facebook Live.[9][10]
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 3 June 2020[update]. 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, that's somebody's granddaddy."[10]
Investigation
Crime Stoppers offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest;[9] 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 provide clues and evidence in their investigation of David Dorn's death.[11][12] 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 a.m. to 2:16 a.m. 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.[11][12]
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] As of June 18, a total of six persons has been charged, two for murder and four for burglary and stealing.
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.[10]
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.[10]
Dorn's widow, Ann Dorn, spoke in favor of Donald Trump at the 2020 Republican National Convention.
The officer's daughters, Debra White and Lisa Dorn, called Ann Dorn and asked her not to speak about their father at the convention and told the St. Louis American that their father was a registered Democrat and did not support Trump. "She can be a Trump supporter in her own right, but she should not politicize our father's death for Trump's agenda. He thought Trump is doing many things to ruin our country," Lisa Dorn told the paper. Debra White told the paper that her father opposed much of Trump's rhetoric and policies, including "the things he said about Colin Kaepernick, the kids locked up in cages, the racist remarks." Dorn's daughters stated their father did not want to support the "law and order agenda".[13][14]
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.[2] She later spoke at the 2020 Republican National Convention about her husband's death, over the objections of their daughters who claimed he was opposed to Donald Trump.[15]
The former St. Louis County Police Chief Tim Finch called Dorn a "true public servant".[10]
Missouri Governor Mike Parson related the death of Dorn with that of George Floyd, tweeting that neither should have died, and that violence and criminal activity that had nothing to do with protests against Floyd's killing needed to stop.[16]
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!"[6]
References
- ^ Willeke, Becky; Hoskins, Kelley (June 10, 2020). "Hundreds gather to lay retired police chief David Dorn to rest" KTVI.
- ^ a b c Hutchinson, Bill (June 4, 2020). "Small-town police chief killed as officers in 3 cities wounded during violence at George Floyd protests". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2020-06-24. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
- ^ "Peaceful protests give way to looting, fires and violence near downtown St. Louis". KSDK. 2020-06-01. Archived from the original on 2020-01-13. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
- ^ "Reward of up to $100,000 offered for info that leads to arrest in shooting of 4 officers during downtown unrest". KMOV. 2020-06-15. Archived from the original on 2020-01-13. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
{{cite news}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; 2021-01-13 suggested (help) - ^ "Retired St. Louis police captain killed during unrest sparked by George Floyd death". CBS News. Archived from the original on June 18, 2020. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
- ^ a b Cullinane, Susannah. "Retired St. Louis Police captain killed after responding to a pawnshop alarm during looting". CNN. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
- ^ "Charges filed in murder of retired St. Louis police captain David Dorn". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Jun 8, 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-06-22. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
- ^ a b "St. Louis Man Charged With Murder in Shooting of Retired Police Captain Amid Protests". Time. June 7, 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-06-18. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
- ^ a b St. Louis MO Police Dept [@SLMPD] (June 5, 2020). "Persons of Interest in the Murder of Ret. Capt. David Dorn" (Tweet). Retrieved 2020-06-06 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c d e Bell, Kim (June 3, 2020). "Retired police captain shot to death at St. Louis pawn shop in slaying caught on Facebook Live". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Archived from the original on 2020-06-21. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
- ^ a b "St. Louis police release surveillance video of 7 'persons of interest' in death of retired officer David Dorn | Fox News". Fox News. Archived from the original on 2020-06-16. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
- ^ a b "St. Louis police release pawn shop surveillance video in hunt for killer of retired police captain". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Archived from the original on 2020-06-20. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
- ^ King, Chris. "David Dorn's daughters oppose father's widow speaking at RNC". St. Louis American. Retrieved 2020-08-28.
- ^ "Daughters of slain police officer featured at RNC speak out". CNN. Retrieved 2020-08-28.
- ^ King, Chris (26 August 2020). "David Dorn's daughters oppose father's widow speaking at RNC". St. Louis American. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
- ^ Bonvillian, Crystal (June 3, 2020). "Retired police captain killed on Facebook Live while protecting friend's pawn shop". KIRO-TV. Archived from the original on June 9, 2020. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
