Retired St. Louis police captain David Dorn was shot in the back by rioters early Tuesday morning.
Dorn was respected in the community for being a local leader who mentored youths and promoted ethical conduct within the police department.
Cops and community leaders in St. Louis respected Dorn as someone whose passion was helping young people and stopping violence on the streets.
Though he was retired, Dorn rose up to action when an alarm at a pawnshop began ringing.
Dorn was a friend of the pawn shop owner and frequently checked on the business.
When he heard the alarm ringing, he knew the rioters had gotten there so he wanted to help protect his friend's business.
But the looters shot him in the back.
Terrifying footage shows Dorn dying on the streets outside the shop.
(Warning: graphic images below):
Protesters, Democrat leaders, and celebrities in the media keep telling us that black lives matter!
And we agree!
But do ALL lives matter equally to those protesting and rioting in the streets?
Why aren't they mourning the MURDER of David Dorn, a retired black police captain in St. Louis?
Unfortunately, it appears that those aggitating the national situation only focus on the tragic deaths that fuel their narrative.
CNN confirms Dorn's terrible final moments:
A retired police captain fatally shot during looting in St. Louis was passionate about helping young people and would have forgiven those behind the violence on the city's streets, his son says.
David Dorn, 77, was killed while responding to an alarm at a pawnshop overnight Monday, St. Louis Police Department announced in a news conference Tuesday."Throughout the night, we made 25 arrests for various charges. And then there were 55 businesses and counting that were burglarized and had property damage," St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden told reporters."
One of those businesses had one of our retired captains, retired captain David Dorn, who retired after 38 years. During the looting process, David Dorn was exercising law enforcement that he learned here."
Chief Hayden said Dorn had been "a fine captain" who had been very well-liked and looked up to by many of the department's younger officers.
CNN affiliate KTVI reported that Dorn had been killed around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, dying on the sidewalk in front of the pawn store he had been providing security for.
Dorn's son Brian Powell told the station that Dorn had been a father of five and had 10 grandchildren.
Dorn had been passionate about helping young people, Powell said, and he believed his father would have forgiven those behind the violence and tried to talk to them.
"Because he was real big on trying to talk to youth. And mentoring young people as well. He tried to get them on the straight and narrow and everything," Powell told KTVI.
"The person who pulled the trigger, my message to them would just simply be, just step back from what you're doing. Know the real reason that you're protesting. Let's do it in a positive manner. We don't have to go out and loot and do all the other things," Powell said.
Powell's reflections were echoed in a tweet by the Ethical Society of Police, which read, "(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!"
Dorn was truly a good man.
According to multiple people, he was an inspiring role model who helped lift them out of poverty and into a better life.
Currently, the hunt for the murderers is still ongoing.
President Trump took to Twitter to mourn Dorn's untimely death:
David Dorn matters, too.
Those protesting and rioting in the streets should be saying David Dorn's name as well.
He was a good man who served his community faithfully.
He did not deserve to be killed by the very people he has spent his whole life protecting.
St. Louis Public Radio confirms the tragedy:
David Dorn, a retired law enforcement official, was shot and killed early Tuesday morning after responding to a burglary alarm at Lee’s Pawn & Jewelry on Martin Luther King Drive in north St. Louis.
St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden confirmed the information during a press conference Tuesday. He said 55 businesses including the pawn shop reported property damage overnight following protests in downtown St. Louis over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
“During a looting process, David Dorn was exercising law enforcement training that he learned here, so in his honor, we are wearing our mourning bands,” he said.
Hayden added that he and many younger officers looked up to Dorn, who served 38 years with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and retired in 2007 as a captain. Dorn later served as the police chief of Moline Acres in north St. Louis County.
St. Louis police officers received a call about a shooting at Lee’s around 2:30 a.m., according to a police report. Officers found Dorn, 77, on the sidewalk suffering from a gunshot wound to his torso. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
State Rep. Rasheen Aldridge, D-St. Louis, told St. Louis on the Air he witnessed the shooting on Facebook Live.
“Things escalated at the Lee’s Pawn and Jewelry shop, where the man was killed, and to see his body, I mean, on Facebook, it was almost like — you know that’s how we’ve seen George Floyd’s body, and you know that’s not the change that we are pushing for,” he said.
Leroy Carter, Ward 4 committeeman, said Dorn frequented the business district along Martin Luther King Drive and previously served as a liaison between the business association and local police. He added that Dorn remained good friends with Lee Rascover, owner of the pawn shop.
While it's horrific that Dorn's death was broadcast live on Facebook, hopefully the video footage will provide investigators with clues as to the whereabouts of his killers.
We pray for calm and healing for his family.
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