Suspect in murder of retired police officer David Dorn to stand trial in July

The man accused of murdering retired St. Louis police Captain David Dorn during BLM protests will stand trial July 15.

Dorn, 77, was killed in the early morning hours of June 2, 2020, during Black Lives Matter riots that spread across the country. He responded to a burglar alarm at a friend’s pawn shop, Lee’s Pawn Shop and Jewelry. On the night of Dorn’s death, four St. Louis officers were shot and dozens of other businesses were damaged or burglarized, the Associated Press reported.

“Dave Dorn was a great man. He was fair; the sharpest, cleanest guy,” retired St. Louis police officer David Ellison said of Dorn the day of the shooting.

Stephan Cannon, 24, was arrested in June 2020 and charged with first-degree murder over Dorn’s death. Cannon is also charged with armed robbery, burglary, stealing, and unlawful possession of a weapon.

In January, Cannon’s trial date was scheduled for July 18 but the development received little notice. The updated trial schedule appeared on the court’s docket on Friday.

Black Lives Matter protesters beat an elderly man who was praying in front of the namesake statue of St. Louis. Photo: Twitter.

BLM riots rocked St. Louis and dozens of other major U.S. cities in 2020 following the death of George Floyd and the outbreak of mass civil unrest. Hundreds of Black Lives Matter protests devolved into riots, causing between $1 and $2 billion in damage to major U.S. cities.

Dorn’s widow recounted the night of her husband’s death during a speech at the 2020 Republican National Convention.

“As I slept, looters were ransacking the shop. They shot and killed David in cold blood, and then live-streamed his execution and his last moments on Earth,” said Ann Dorn in her August 2020 speech. “David’s grandson was watching the video on Facebook in real time, not realizing he was watching his own grandfather dying on the sidewalk.”

Last June, David Dorn was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor Citizen Award for his performance of an extraordinary act of courage and sacrifice on the night he was killed. Decisions on who receives the award are made by a panel of Medal of Honor recipients each year.

–Dailywire and news services