Officials: Remains Found In Burned-Out Cabin Are That Of Christopher Dorner
SAN BERNARDINO (CBSLA.com) — The San Bernardino County Coroner's office has confirmed human remains recovered from a burned-out cabin following Tuesday's deadly gun battle are that of quadruple murder suspect Christopher Dorner.
The remains were identified with dental records.
Dorner's California driver's license was found near his body inside the leveled Seven Oaks property.
The 33-year-old former LAPD officer had been accused in the Feb. 3 revenge murders of Monica Quan, 28, and her 27-year-old fiancé, Keith Lawrence.
Dorner, who worked for the LAPD from 2005 to 2008, was fired for making false accusations against a fellow officer. Quan's father, a former LAPD Captain, represented him in the hearing that ultimately led to his dismissal from the force.
In an online manifesto, Dorner named 50 LAPD officers who were then protected by a modified security detail until his death could be confirmed.
He was also wanted in the ambush murder of Riverside police officer Michael Crain, who was shot to death in his patrol car on Feb. 7. Crain's partner was also critically injured in the ambush, but is expected to make a full recovery.
Dorner's fourth and final murder victim, a San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputy identified as 35-year-old Jeremiah McKay, was killed during Tuesday's standoff.
The resort town of Big Bear had been the focus of a manhunt for Dorner since Feb. 7, when authorities discovered the former Navy reservist's burned-out Nissan Titan near Big Bear Lake. Weapons, survival gear and a gas mask were among the charred items recovered from the vehicle.
There was no sign of Dorner until the morning of Feb. 12, when he reportedly broke into a condo in the 1200 block of Club View Road – which was ironically within sight of a Sheriff's outpost – and took the owners hostage.
A short time later, one of the victims was able to escape and contact police after Dorner stole their vehicle.
He later abandoned it before carjacking a truck on Highway 38.
Dorner was then spotted by Fish and Wildlife officers and gunfire was exchanged before he fled into the forest and barricaded himself in a cabin, authorities said.
The suspect then engaged in a raging gun battle with officials, during which, McKay was killed and another deputy was injured.
CBS2's Carter Evans and his crew were caught in the middle of the firefight, but were uninjured.
At one point, Dorner tried to escape by throwing a smoke grenade at officers, Evans reported.
The siege continued for hours until around 4:20 p.m., when tear gas was fired into the home. A single gunshot was later heard resonating from inside the residence, Evans reported.
The home quickly became engulfed, although authorities are still not sure how the fire started.
