On the night of June 2, 2020, amidst a backdrop of civil unrest and rioting in St. Louis, Missouri, 77-year-old David Dorn, a Black male and retired police captain, responded to a burglar alarm at Lee's Pawn & Jewelry. Dorn, who had served 38 years with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and later as the police chief of Moline Acres, was a close friend of the pawn shop's owner and often checked on the business when alarms were triggered.
Upon arriving at the scene on Martin Luther King Drive around 2:30 a.m., he encountered a group of individuals looting the store. As Dorn approached the establishment to intervene, he was shot multiple times in the torso. He was left bleeding on the sidewalk, where his final moments were broadcast in a graphic video livestreamed on Facebook by a bystander. He was pronounced dead at the scene, having lost his life while attempting to protect his friend's livelihood.
Following the shooting, homicide detectives launched an extensive investigation, utilizing surveillance footage from the pawn shop and neighboring businesses to identify those responsible. The video evidence captured a man pointing a gun at Dorn and firing shots before fleeing the scene. Police identified the shooter as Stephan Cannon, a 24-year-old resident of Glasgow Village. Another individual, 22-year-old Mark Jackson, was identified as the driver of the getaway vehicle. Authorities arrested Cannon and charged him with first-degree murder, first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary, stealing, unlawful possession of a firearm, and three counts of armed criminal action. Jackson was also apprehended and charged with second-degree murder, robbery, burglary, stealing, and armed criminal action for his role in the events that led to Dorn's death.
The case proceeded to trial in July 2022, where prosecutors presented a case anchored by surveillance video and witness testimony. Mark Jackson accepted a plea deal, agreeing to testify against Cannon in exchange for a reduced sentence; he pleaded guilty to robbery and burglary charges, while the murder charges against him were dropped. During his testimony, Jackson identified Cannon as the gunman who fired the fatal shots. The defense attempted to cast doubt on the physical evidence and the credibility of the witnesses, but the jury deliberated for less than four hours before returning a guilty verdict on all counts against Cannon, including the charge of first-degree murder.
In October 2022, Stephan Cannon appeared in court for sentencing. The presiding judge handed down a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder conviction, ensuring he would spend the remainder of his life behind bars. Additionally, Cannon received consecutive sentences for the other felonies, including thirty years for armed criminal action, thirty years for robbery and burglary, and ten years for stealing and weapon possession. Mark Jackson, for his cooperation and lesser role, received a suspended fifteen-year sentence and was placed on five years of probation. The conclusion of the legal proceedings brought a measure of closure to a tragedy that had drawn national attention and profound mourning within the St. Louis community.
