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Manhunt: Ex-LAPD cop thought to have stalked victims, sources say

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This post has been corrected. See the note below for details.

In the weeks leading up to his alleged shootings that left three dead and another wounded, former LAPD officer Christopher Jordan Dorner is thought to have stalked some of those named in a manifesto he is believed to have posted online, law enforcement sources told The Times.

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Authorities were involved in a massive manhunt for Dorner, 33, and issued alerts across California and Nevada for the former cop, who is suspected of killing a couple in Orange County earlier this week and fatally shooting a Riverside police officer Thursday morning.

Dorner is suspected of visiting the homes of some of those named in the manifesto as he allegedly plotted out his attacks, according to the sources.

TIMELINE: Manhunt for ex-LAPD officer

They declined to provide additional details on Dorner’s alleged visits, saying they did not want to compromise the ongoing investigation.

The Los Angeles Police Department had dispatched units across the area to protect at least 40 officers and others named in the rambling manifesto that Dorner allegedly posted online.

Dorner was believed to be carrying multiple weapons, including an assault rifle.

INTERACTIVE MAP: Searching for suspected shooter

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Law enforcement authorities said they were concerned about Dorner’s military background and weapons training. The lengthy online message allegedly written by the former Navy Reserve lieutenant threatened ‘unconventional and asymmetrical warfare’ against police. Dorner received awards for his expertise with a rifle and pistol, according to military records obtained by The Times. He received an Iraq Campaign Medal and was a member of mobile inshore undersea warfare unit.

The former officer, who was fired from the LAPD in 2009, is suspected of shooting three officers, one of whom died, in Riverside County early Thursday morning.

[For the Record, 1:03 p.m. Feb. 7: An earlier version of this post stated that Christopher Jordan Dorner was fired from the LAPD in 2006. He was fired in 2009.]

PHOTOS: Manhunt for ex-LAPD officer

Riverside Police Chief Sergio Diaz called the slaying a ‘cowardly ambush’ and said Dorner is suspected of opening fire with a rifle about 1:30 a.m. Thursday as he pulled up to the officer and his partner at a street light.

The attack was carried out about 20 minutes after Dorner wounded an LAPD officer in a shooting in nearby Corona, police said.

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The violence connected to the case began Sunday after Dorner allegedly killed a couple in Orange County who were found shot in a car. One of the victims was the daughter of a former LAPD captain named in the manifesto.

FULL COVERAGE: Sweeping manhunt for rampaging ex-cop

Early Thursday, two women delivering newspapers in Torrance were shot by Los Angeles police who were guarding an officer named in the manifesto.

The women, shot in the 19500 block of Redbeam Avenue, were taken to area hospitals, Torrance police Lt. Devin Chase said. One suffered a minor wound, and the other was struck twice and listed in stable condition, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck told reporters.

‘Tragically,’ Beck said, ‘we believe this is a case of mistaken identity.’

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Riverside police ‘ambushed’ by shooter, official says

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--Andrew Blankstein (twitter.com/anblanx) and Robert J. Lopez (twitter.com/LAJourno)

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