As a manhunt continued for former LAPD officer Christopher Dorner, accused of a fatal revenge-motivated shooting spree across Southern California, support for his statements in a lengthy and widely read manifesto were gathering steam Thursday and Friday.
In an 11,000-word document he posted on his Facebook page this week, Dorner called the Los Angeles Police Department a racist organization that uses force against suspects excessively.
Several Facebook pages have appeared in support of Dorner, who has allegedly shot three officers, killing one. He also allegedly fatally shot the daughter of an LAPD captain and her fiancé.
Special Section: Revenge Plot | Timeline: Revenge-Plot Slayings | Read: Full Manifesto | Map: Search Locations | Storify: Reactions to Dorner
The online support seems motivated by an anti-police attitude that the ex-officer espouses in his manifesto.
One Facebook page, which had garnered nearly 1,700 "likes" by midday Friday, states: "A MAN WITH MORALS AND A HERO. A REAL REBEL WITH A CAUSE! THIS MAN IS STANDING UP FOR A CAUSE HE WILL BE REMEMBERED. HES TRYING TO STOP CORRUPTION. HAVE RESPECT FOR A MAN WHO IS WILLING TO DIE FOR SOMETHING INSTEAD OF LIVING FOR NOTHING."
The page, which was categorized as a "fictional character," also advocated for Dorner to stop his alleged rampage, using religious terms to tell the ex-officer to "let go" of his "anger."
On Twitter, support for Dorner was more widespread.
"I dont agree wit how #Dorner is handling his anger & frustration BUT i think there may b some truth n his manifesto.Corruption runs rampant," one user wrote.
On Thursday, an account associated with hacktivist group Anonymous tweeted, "The LAPD is doing illegal things to catch an ex-cop doing illegal things who was kicked off the force for exposing cops doing illegal thing."
The posting was retweeted more than 5,000 times.
In the manifesto, Dorner repeatedly states that a federal consent decree imposed in the wake of a corruption scandal in the department's Rampart Bureau should never have been lifted. The decree, allowing federal oversight of civil rights-related reforms in the LAPD, was entered into in 2001 and lifted in 2009.
"From 2/05 to 1/09 I saw some of the most vile things humans can inflict on others as a police officer in Los Angeles," wrote Dorner of a time period that included his employment on the force. "Unfortunately, it wasn't in the streets of LA. It was in the confounds [sic] of LAPD police stations and shops (cruisers). The enemy combatants in LA are not the citizens and suspects, it's the police officers."
Dorner stated he believes the LAPD has not changed since the Rampart days. The document focuses in large part on Dorner's firing after authorities judged him to have falsely accused a fellow officer of using excessive force against a suspect.
"Terminating officers because they expose a culture of lying, racism (from the academy), and excessive use of force will immediately change," Dorner wrote. "The blue line will forever be severed and a cultural change will be implanted. You have awoken a sleeping giant.
"I am here to change and make policy. The culture of LAPD versus the community and honest/good officers needs to and will change. I am here to correct and calibrate your morale compasses to true north."
Many others online condemned Dorner's actions and the comments of those supporting him.
They gave little credence to Dorner's points, saying his was a mentally ill meant bent on destruction and personal revenge.
"WTF is wrong w/people.. calling #Dorner a hero? He's a murderer. That's not a hero. IDC if you support the #LAPD or not; where r your heads?" one person tweeted.
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