David Dorn, a retired African-American St. Louis police captain, was shot dead on Tuesday as he was trying to stop a burglary at a pawn shop. He was shot at his torso and his murder was live-streamed on Facebook. His body was found on the sidewalk in front of the Lee's Pawn & Jewelry shop.
Protests over the brutal killing of George Floyd have raged throughout the U.S., often turning violent. Acts of vandalism, arson and looting have been reported at several places. Dorn's gruesome murder came at a similar instance when protests at St. Louis, Missouri, turned violent overnight.
Dorn (77), a friend of the pawnshop owner, went to check on the building when burglar alarms sounded, his widow Ann Marie Dorn told St. Louis Post-Dispatch. She said she was distraught to talk further about her husband. Although there have been no arrests in the case, a reward of $100,000 has been announced for any information leading to the arrest.
At a press conference on Tuesday, the St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden said that as many as 55 businesses suffered damage during the overnight protests. During one such looting process, Dorn exercised law enforcement training that he learned at the department, Hayden added. "So in his honor, we are wearing our mourning bands", he further said, St. Louis Public Radio reported.
President Donald Trump took to Twitter to pay respects to the family of David Dorn, whom he described as "a Great Police Captain from St. Louis, who was viciously shot and killed by despicable looters". "We honor our police officers, perhaps more than ever before", he added.
Dorn had worked at the St. Louis Police Department for 38 years and retired in 2007. After retirement, he became the police chief in Moline Acres, a city in St. Louis County, Missouri. "None of us who knew you are surprised you went out fighting at Lee's Pawn", tweeted Tim Fitch, the former St. Louis County police chief, who remembered Dorn as a true "public servant".
Outrage online
Several users took to social media to express their outrage over David Dorn's demise. People asked if his life did not matter since he was black police officer. Many also cautioned to not fail to see the difference between looters and protesters.
