A former Los Angeles police officer suspected in the double homicide of a basketball coach and her fiancé Sunday, who reportedly warned authorities he would seek revenge for being fired by targeting cops, is also now suspected in the shootings of 3 officers early Thursday morning that wounded two and killed another. He is considered armed with multiple weapons and extremely dangerous, authorities said, Fox News reported.
News of the shootings arrives just one day after authorities named former policeman Christopher Jordan Dorner a suspect in the killings of Cal State Fullerton assistant women's basketball coach Monica Quan and her fiancé Keith Lawrence.
"In this case, we're his target," Sgt. Rudy Lopez from the Corona Police Department said at a press conference, Fox News reported.
Dorner, a former police officer with the LAPD, was fired in 2009 for making false statements. Quan's father, a former LAPD captain who became a lawyer after he retired, represented Dorner at his trial in front of the Board of Fights, which ruled against him at the time of his termination, LAPD Capt. William Hays said to the Associated Press. Dorner tried to appeal his case in a Los Angeles court, but a judge ruled against him in 2011, according to court records, CNN reported.
"I never had the opportunity to have a family of my own, (so) I am terminating yours," Dorner reportedly state in his manifesto.
He continued: "Look your wives/husbands and surviving children directly in the face and tell them the truth as to why your children are dead," CNN reported.
Dorner goes on to mention Quan's father by name in the note, alleging that he "bungled" his case, CNN added.
Dorner is suspected in shooting at two LAPD officers Wednesday night - grazing one in the head - in Corona, Calif. The officers were reportedly providing security detail to someone named in his manifesto, according to police.
Later on that same night, Dorner is also suspected of shooting two policemen at a stop light who were conducting a routine patrol in nearby Riverside. One officer was killed; the other is currently in surgery, according to Fox News.
"Self preservation is no longer important to me. I do not fear death as I died long ago on 1/2/09," Dorner wrote, likely referring to his firing, Fox News reported.
Police do not know where Dorner is, but believe he has left the area. The California State Highway Patrol has issued a "Blue Alert" - a rarity - which signals a serious crime against a police officer. This is the first time in over two years the state has issued such an alert, a spokesman for the patrol said.
Authorities are waging a broad manhunt from Los Angeles to San Diego, where Dorner could possibly be connected to the attempted hijacking of a boat, KFMB reported. Dorner's police badge and identification were found at a San Diego Airport after someone turned them in at 2:27 a.m., police said, though it is not known exactly when they were found.
Police are understandably cagey in light of Dorners many explicit threats and are taking precautions accordingly, with the city of Corona suspending its motorcycle patrol and asking all on duty officers to team up with partners, Fox News reported.
"We're asking our officers to be extraordinarily cautious just as we're asking the public to be extraordinarily cautious with this guy. He's already demonstrated he has a propensity for shooting innocent people. We can't provide a lot of information now because we're trying to capture him," said Cmdr. Andrew Smith. "We don't know where he is. We're looking for the public's help to locate this guy. Anybody who sees him or believes they see him or his vehicle should call 911."
Dorner may be driving a blue 2005 Nissan Titan pickup truck, police said.
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