St. Louis man charged with murder in fatal shooting of retired police captain
A 24-year-old man was charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a retired St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department captain who was killed while protecting a friend's pawn shop from looters last week, authorities said Sunday.
Stephan Cannon of St. Louis faces one count of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree burglary, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm, and two counts of armed criminal action in connection with retired captain David Dorn's death. He is being held without bond, according to St. Louis police.
Jimmie Robinson, 27, was also charged with first-degree burglary, armed criminal action and stealing in connection with Dorn's death. He's being held on $30,000 cash-only bond.
The arrests were announced five days after Dorn was shot and killed after responding to an alarm at Lee Pawn and Jewelry Store amid protests and unrest over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Four other officers were shot that night and 55 businesses were burglarized or damaged.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner announced the charges against Cannon and Robinson. It was unclear Monday morning if they had retained attorneys.
According to a police probable cause statement, Cannon was among those seen on surveillance footage entering the pawn shop and stealing several televisions, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. When Dorn, a friend of the pawn shop’s owner who would check on the store when alarms went off, arrived at the store, Cannon walked toward the street corner with gun in his hand.
“At the time the shots were fired, he (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.
Crime Stoppers had offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information that led to an arrest in Dorn's killing.
Dorn served on the police force for 38 years. He died on the sidewalk in front of the pawn shop, and his death was apparently streamed on Facebook Live.
Former St. Louis County Police Chief Tim Fitch called Dorn a "true public servant."
"Protecting & serving all the way to the end," Fitch tweeted last week. "None of us who knew you are surprised you went out fighting at Lee's Pawn this morning. God speed my friend."
