By Brian Hews
The La Palma home of suspected killer Christopher Dorner was raided on Friday by several law enforcement agencies in hopes of collecting more information that could lead to the arrest of one of America’s most wanted fugitives.
Los Cerritos Community Newspaper was one of the first news agencies to arrive on Sharon Drive to witness heavily armed officials from the US Marshalls, Irvine Police Department, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and the La Palma Police Department enter the family residence of Dorner.
Within an hour, several dozen reporters and television news helicopters were camped back in front of Dorner’s residence.
Dorner’s mother, a registered nurse for Kaiser Permanente, allowed the armed officers to enter her now infamous quaint, well groomed home.
Irvine Police Lieutenant Bill Whalen told Los Cerritos Community Newspaper that Dorner’s personal computers were the focus of the search warrant.
“We are going to take our time and to gather as much potential evidence as possible here today,” Whalen said.
Whalen would not comment about specific details of the investigation surrounding Dorner.
“We are interested in his computers, and that is the focus of our efforts,” Whalen said.
Several neighbors gathered outside the Dorner home, including La Palma City Councilman Gerard Goedhart who lives “just around the corner” from Sharon Drive.
“We are all praying that this situation can come to an end quickly,” Goedhart said.
Also involved in the raid was the Orange County Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory Unit. At least eight officers from that agency were seen going in and out of the Dorner home.
Another neighbor, who did not want to be publicly identified, said that she had “deep feelings” for the Dorner family, “especially for his mother.”
“I can’t believe she and his sister have to live this nightmare. This is not going to end well, and these two amazing women are going to have to have a heavy Cross to carry for the rest of their lives,” the neighbor said.
Dorner, who was fired from the Los Angeles Police Department in 2008, outlined plans to kill law enforcement officers and their family members in rambling 11,400 words “manifesto” that members of the media obtained this past Tuesday night.
In the diatribe, Dorner addressed his reporting of a fellow officer for excessive use of force, and stated he wanted to get his “name back.”
Dorner began his tragic shooting rampage on Sunday when he gunned down Monica Quan, 28, and her fiancé, Keith Lawrence, 27.
Quan’s father is a retired LAPD captain referenced several times in Dorner’s document.
Monica Quan and Lawrence were fatally shot Sunday while sitting in their car in a parking structure in Irvine, according to police.
Authorities also suspect Dorner in Thursday’s shooting death of a Riverside police officer.
Los Cerritos Community Newspaper is the official “hometown newspaper” for La Palma and surrounding communities. More coverage to follow. To contact Reporter Randy Economy call 562 407-3873 or email him at [email protected]