Alleged Looter Charged in Murder of Retired Cop

St. Louis man allegedly stole TVs from pawn shop before shooting
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 8, 2020 2:30 AM CDT
Man Charged in Murder of Retired Cop Amid Looting
In this 2008 photo, David Dorn poses in St. Louis.   (Scott Bandle/Suburban Journals/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP, File)

A 24-year-old St. Louis man has been charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a retired police captain who died on a night of violent protests while trying to protect his friend’s pawn shop, the city's prosecutor announced Sunday. Stephan Cannon was being held without bond on a first-degree murder charge in the death of David Dorn, 77, who was killed Tuesday on the sidewalk outside Lee’s Pawn and Jewelry. Dorn’s last moments were caught on video and apparently posted on Facebook Live, though the video has since been taken down, the AP reports. Dorn's death came on a violent night in St. Louis, where four officers were shot, officers were pelted with rocks and fireworks, and 55 businesses were burglarized or damaged, including a convenience store that burned, amid ongoing unrest and protests over the deaths of black people at the hands of police.

According to a police probable cause statement, Cannon was among those seen on surveillance footage entering the store and then stealing several televisions, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Dorn, a friend of the pawn shop’s owner who was in the habit of checking on the business when alarms went off, arrived at the store. Cannon then walked toward the street corner with gun in his hand. “At the time the shots were fired, (Cannon) was the only person standing at that corner,” the probable cause statement reads. “Multiple plumes of smoke” can be seen coming from where Cannon was standing, and shell casings were found on the spot, police said. A stolen TV was allegedly found when he was arrested. Cannon also faces several other charges including robbery and felon in possession of a firearm. (President Trump tweeted a tribute to Dorn.)

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