Fugitive ex-cop sent parcel to CNN, Anderson Cooper tweets
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CNN Anchor Anderson Cooper said via Twitter on Thursday that he received a parcel from the former Los Angeles police officer wanted in connection with a series of shootings that have left three people dead and two wounded.
Cooper shared the news on the social media website around 3 p.m.
“Learned today suspect Christopher Dorner sent me a parcel at CNN,” Cooper tweeted. “Inside was a note, DVD, and a coin shot thru with bullet holes.”
Cooper did not immediately release any additional information.
[Updated at 4:57 p.m., Feb. 7: In a video posted on CNN’s website, Cooper said the parcel arrived on Feb. 1 with a hand-labeled DVD and a yellow Post-It note reading in part “I never lied!” Anderson said he was first made aware of the package today.]
PHOTOS: Manhunt for ex-LAPD officer
Meanwhile, in California, authorities were searching the mountainous terrain near Big Bear after the discovery of a burning pickup truck that law enforcement said is linked to Christopher Jordan Dorner, 33.
“There is no information that there were any shots fired locally,” said John McMahon of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
The mountain community locked down schools and closed the nearby Bear Mountain Resort as television helicopters hovered overhead, showing footage of a SWAT team walking through the woods, rifles drawn.
TIMELINE: Manhunt for ex-LAPD officer
Sean Jacques, director of loss prevention for Big Bear Mountain Resorts, said that after the burning truck was discovered on a forest service road, local law enforcement told resort officials to keep an eye out for Dorner and provided a description of the suspect.
“They said maintain vigilance,” he said.
Several law enforcement agencies are involved in the massive manhunt for Dorner and alerts have been issued all across California and in Nevada. The Los Angeles Police Department had dispatched units across the region to protect at least 40 officers and others named in a rambling online manifesto that law enforcement officials attribute to Dorner.
INTERACTIVE MAP: Searching for suspected shooter
Dorner, who was fired from the LAPD in 2009, is suspected of shooting three police officers, one of whom died, in Riverside County early Thursday.
Dorner also is suspected of killing a couple in Orange County earlier this week who were found shot in a car. One of the victims was the daughter of a former LAPD captain named in the purported manifesto.
Dorner was believed to be carrying multiple weapons, including an assault rifle.
FULL COVERAGE: Sweeping manhunt for rampaging ex-cop
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 a mobile inshore undersea warfare unit.
Riverside Police Chief Sergio Diaz, calling the attack a ‘cowardly ambush,’ said Dorner is suspected of opening fire with a rifle about 1:30 a.m. Thursday as he pulled up to two police officers waiting at a traffic light.
The attack was carried out about 20 minutes after Dorner wounded an LAPD officer in a shooting in nearby Corona, police said.
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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-- Andrew Blankstein, Kate Mather, Robert Lopez, Phil Willon and Matt Stevens
