On June 1, police found Dorn’s body outside of Lee’s Pawn and Jewelry Store. He was shot in the torso at around 2:30 am and died on the sidewalk outside of the shop.
St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden called Dorn a “fine captain" who many young officers looked up to and said he was killed while carrying out law enforcement.
After 38 years with the department, Dorn then went on to serve as the police chief of Moline Acres. According to his wife, Ann, Dorn was a friend of the owner of the pawn shop and had been working for him to protect the shop from looters. He was responding to a report of an alarm going off at the business at the time of his death.
The Ethical Society of Police of St. Louis, a group that represents black police officers in the city, praised Dorn, saying: “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.”
Dorn’s murder was recorded in a Facebook Live video, and a spokesperson for the company, Andy Stone, has said they are trying to obtain more information about the recording.
Comments on social media were posted by several people who say they saw the broadcast, with many expressing trauma after seeing the man’s death. He can be seen lying on the ground with blood running from his body; it’s not clear why the person recording the video didn’t try to intervene. Someone in the video can be heard saying that Dorn was killed over TVs.
The 13-minute video, which has been viewed more than 94,000 times, was briefly taken down by Facebook after it was broadcast. The company later said it was a mistake as the video did not violate their policy on graphic and violent content, so it was reposted.
A Facebook spokesperson said: “Under our policies, the video has been covered with a warning screen but remains on the platform so that people can raise awareness or condemn this event.”
One woman who brought flowers to the site where Dorn was shot down said he was like a father to many people and called him a kind and great man.
Missouri Governor Mike Parson said: “The people that shot him should be accountable. And, no, they’re not protesters. They’re criminals and they’re thugs… and hopefully they get hunt down.”
President Trump also condemned the killing in a tweet, sending his respect to Dorn’s family and calling those who killed him “despicable looters.”
Police have released a surveillance video that shows men breaking into the store in their effort to catch the parties responsible for this horrific crime. A reward for information leading to the arrest of his murderer has grown to $40,000.
Police targeted by violent rioters in St. Louis
Dorn wasn’t the only police officer to be targeted in the violent protests. On June 1, four officers were shot in St. Louis near the police headquarters during protests that were being held downtown. The four officers, aged 28 to 52, are expected to survive. No arrests have been made in the shootings. Chief Hayden said that 55 businesses were damaged or burglarized that night.
At a makeshift memorial outside of the pawn shop where Dorn was killed, someone hung up a handwritten note that said: “Y’all killed a black man because “they” killed a black man???”
It’s one thing to peacefully protest the actions of certain police officers, but this is a senseless killing by opportunistic criminals who just wanted to steal and loot – they clearly don’t believe that “black lives matter.”
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