Wrongly Accused Officer Breaks His Silence
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Lynwood police officer who was wrongly accused of murder in the two-state "honeybee shooting spree" in October has broken his silence now that it appears the real killer is dead.
Brian Dorian spent four days in jail after Will County prosecutors charged him with murder. Evidence later showed Dorian could not possibly have been the gunman and he was set free.
As CBS 2's Vince Gerasole reports, after two months of silence, Dorian was speaking out Tuesday, in the wake of news that a man who was killed while trying to rob a south suburban tanning salon was the real "honeybee killer."
One of the first things Brian Dorian said was that he's just a cop who wants to put in his shift and go home.
It was a bittersweet trek to justice in October when Dorian walked into a Will County courtroom two months ago, when the murder charges were dropped against him after four days in jail.
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But even with word that Gary Amaya – who was killed while trying to rob an L.A. Tan salon in Orland Park – might be the real Honeybee killer, Dorian was guarded about his comments on the case.
"I don't want to ruin and jeopardize an ongoing investigation," Dorian said in a phone interview Tuesday. "We have to let it play out. Wasn't there a rush to judgment on me?"
As the Honeybee killer went on a shooting spree, taking the life of one man and injuring two others, Will County authorities quickly released a sketch of the suspect.
In a matter of days, Dorian was arrested and spent days in jail based in part on an eight-year-old driver's license photo.
"Every night when I was locked away, I was in that cage thinking these victims had a false sense of security," Dorian said. "I am praying for these victims. They got a long road ahead of them, they'll need prayers the rest of their lives."
Dorian's friends and family quickly rallied to his side after he was charged, speaking whenever they could to say that there was no way he could be a killer.
"In your life you are lucky if you have one or two people on one hand to count on," Dorian said. "I obviously need more hands."
Dennis Moran, a family friend, said Dorian is "just a great kid. I am worried about him."
Moran is one of those people Dorian knows he can count on. A father figure to Dorian, he was in court Tuesday, facing charges for shoving a news photographer out of Dorian's way at the Will County Courthouse.
"The biggest thing that concerned me ... was all the stress all my family and friends and loved ones were put under," Dorian said.
Dorian said he doesn't take that stress lightly; he knows many of his friends and relatives were just ordinary people suddenly fighting for his freedom.
He also praised Jason McDaniel, the L.A. Tan customer who shot and killed Amaya during the robbery attempt, calling McDaniel a hero.
