Missouri trial opens for man accused of killing retired St. Louis cop David Dorn during George Floyd protests

This week, the trial of the man accused in the murder of retired St. Louis Police Officer Captain David Dorn at the height of summer unrest after the police shooting of George Floyd during summer 2022 is underway.

On Monday, Stephen Cannon (26), of Glasgow Village was charged with first-degree murder for Dorn’s death. He was protecting his friend’s pawnshop during the looting of June 2, 2020. The Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Retired police captain Dorn was protecting the pawn shop of a friend when he was attacked and shot by looters. (Missouri Department of Public Safety).

After demonstrations that were sparked by Floyd’s death by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, the night of violence in St. Louis was marked by the shooting.

Dorn was shot along with four other officers. During the protests, 55 businesses were broken into or burglarized in St. Louis.

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Marvin Teer, chief trial assistant, told jurors Monday that chaos came along with the unrest. It also affected St. Louis. … Our streets were ravaged by looters and chaos. It was a time of great pain. Many of these unconscionable acts were accompanied by this legitimate pain.”

Dorn, who was now 77, spent nearly 40 years on the St. Louis force, before serving six years as chief at Moline Acres. Ann Dorn, his wife, stated that her husband checked alarms at the Pawn Shop often because he was a friend with the owner.

On Tuesday, June 2, 2020, a car burst at the corner Martin Luther King Boulevard & Tucker Boulevard. (David Carson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Cannon was allegedly one of the many people who looted the store that night, according to prosecution. Cannon was allegedly carrying a gun when Dorn arrived at the store. According to prosecutors, Cannon was the only one on the corner at the time shots were fired and Dorn was struck.

Brian Horneyer (Cannon’s attorney) told jurors Monday there was no evidence linking Cannon to the murder. He said that the main witness for the state, also charged with multiple felonies, told detectives that he would say anything they asked in order to get a plea bargain and avoid a murder conviction.

The trial should last for at least one week.

This report was contributed by The Associated Press.