St. Louis resident Stephan Cannon was arrested on Sunday and charged with the murder of David Dorn, the retired St. Louis police captain. Dorn (77) was killed in the early hours of Tuesday, as he tried to prevent burglary at a local pawnshop. Cannon (24) was charged with first-degree murder and is held without bond.
As violence erupted last Monday night Dorn went to check on the pawnshop, whose owner was his friend. When he tried to prevent the looting, multiple shots were fired at him. His bloodied body was found on the sidewalk, with his gruesome killing live-streamed on Facebook.
Surveillance Footage Found
The St. Louis police said that Cannon was seen in the surveillance footage entering the shop and stealing several televisions. When Dorn arrived at the scene, Cannon went towards the street corner with a gun in his hand, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
According to the police, Cannon was the only person at the corner, when shots were fired. Also, plumes of smoke could be seen coming from where he stood. Several shell casings were later recovered from the same spot. They recovered a stolen television from where he was arrested. He confessed that he changed his appearance when he saw his picture being circulated in public.
A Repeat Offender
He has been charged with first-degree murder, robbery in the first degree, burglary in the first degree, three counts of armed criminal action and possession of a firearm. He was already known to the police in connection with a theft in February. He pleaded guilty for felony assault and felony robbery in St. Louis County in 2013. He completed his probation period in 2019.
Another man, Jimmie Robinson, was also arrested in connection with Dorn's murder. He was charged with one count of burglary, one count of armed criminal action and one count of theft.
After having served at the St. Louis police department for 38 years, Dorn retired in 2007. He then became the police chief in Moline Acres. His murder sparked widespread outrage, with President Donald Trump hailing him as "a Great Police Captain", who was "viciously shot and killed by despicable looters".