Former LAPD officer accused of four homicides and multiple assaults, Christopher Dorner died in flames while barricaded in his refuge cabin last Tuesday, concluding one of the most expansive manhunts in Southern California history.
Dorner first embarked on his shooting spree on Feb. 3, when 28-year-old Walnut Class of 2002 graduate Monica Quan was found dead alongside her boyfriend, Keith Lawrence, in a parked car outside their condominium in Irvine. Employed as an assistant coach for women’s basketball at Cal State Fullerton, Quan was allegedly targeted by Dorner because of her father, a former LAPD captain who represented Dorner during his dismissal hearing.
Quan’s high school career was highlighted by her athletic prowess as a high-profile, four-year varsity basketball player. According to Mike James, a teacher at Walnut and Quan’s former coach, she set school records for the most three-pointers in a season and a game.
“She had basically done everything you could do right,” James shared in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. James added, “If there was a big shot that had to be taken, she wanted to be the one taking it.”
In the wake of the tragedy, a group of graduates organized a small vigil on the front steps of Walnut High campus. Among about forty people gathered, many were close friends and family of Quan. “It’s no surprise she continued a career in coaching and mentoring. She always seemed to be a leadership kind of girl,” Julie Escalera, Quan’s past friend and teammate, said.
On Feb. 4, a manifesto purportedly drafted by Dorner himself was found published online. In the document titled “Last Resort” and addressed to “America,” Dorner outlined his plans to murder the families and loved ones of specific individuals, including the Quan family, who have wronged him in relation to his termination from LAPD.
The document confirmed Dorner as the leading suspect for Quan-Lawrence homicide, and the police department officially began a nationwide search for the most wanted criminal on Feb. 6.
A day after the initiation of the search, police officer Michael Crain died from bullet wounds after being ambushed by Dorner, who was riding in a pickup truck nearby a gas station in Corona. In an attempt to seize a vehicle that resembled Dorner’s, police officers mistakenly shot two uninvolved citizens in Torrance. The actual truck was found abandoned and burning on a forestry road in Big Bear, triggering an intense, focused search in the area.
LAPD offered a $1 million reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction last Monday. After days of investigation, the fugitive was reported to be hiding in a mountain cabin. During a standoff, detective Jeremiah MacKay died in a blazing shootout. On Feb. 12, SWAT team surrounded and burnt the cabin, where charred remains of Dorner were later found.
The news of Dorner’s death brought a sigh of relief to the feared residents of Southern California. San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon praised the brave deputies involved in ending the nine-day rampage.
“We did not intentionally burn down that cabin to get Mr. Dorner out. It was like a war zone, and our deputies continued to go in the area… Our deputies are true heroes,” he said.
