Christopher Dorner‘s rampage across Southern California 10 years ago, was fueled by rage and a belief he had been unfairly treated by the Los Angeles Police Department.
“This is a necessary evil that I do not enjoy but must partake and complete for substantial change to occur within the LAPD and reclaim my name,” Dorner, a former LAPD officer, wrote in an 11,000-word manifesto he posted to Facebook before he died in February 2013 following a shootout in the San Bernardino Mountains.
After his death, the department found many in the LAPD believed the disciplinary system biased. The LAPD sought to improve things. And six years later, there was a dramatic overhaul of the system. But critics say there is still bias in the department today.
Dorner sought revenge over ‘unfair’ firing
On Feb. 12, 2013, Dorner killed himself in a Big Bear area cabin after a 10-day shooting rampage across San Diego, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. By then, four other people were dead and six more wounded. Among the dead were Monica Quan, the daughter of a retired LAPD captain; Quan’s fiancé, Keith Lawrence; Riverside police Officer Michael Crain and San Bernardino County sheriff’s Deputy Jeremiah MacKay.
In his manifesto, Dorner threatened to unleash “unconventional and asymmetric warfare” against officers and their families after his 2008 firing. He had never risen higher than a probationary officer. According to the department, Dorner made false statements in a report when he alleged his training officer kicked a suspect.
Dorner wrote the department “has not changed since the Rampart and Rodney King days,” citing infamous cases of LAPD violence against Black and other minority Los Angeles residents.
“Terminating officers because they expose a culture of lying, racism (from the academy), and the excessive use of force will…
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