The St. Louis Police Department announced Tuesday that David Dorn, a 77-year-old retired police captain, was killed while working security outside a pawn shop amid unrest in the city.
And while Trump was quick to attempt to use Dorn's death as part of his larger protest demonization narrative, many—including Ava DuVernay—were just as quick to denounce such tactics as merely another example of his "vicious" and "evil" games:
Dorn was working security outside Lee's Pawn Shop and Jewelry when, per a report from regional outlet KTVI, he was shot and killed. Dorn was both a retired captain from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and a retired chief of Moline Acres, a job from which he retired in 2014.
In an interview, Brian Powell—one of Dorn's sons—recalled getting the call from his brother early Tuesday morning about his father's death. He also shared a message for whoever is responsible.
"The person who pulled the trigger, my message to them would just simply be, just step back from what you're doing," he said. "Know the real reason you're doing it. Let's do it in a positive manner. We don't have to go out and loot. And do all the other things. We can do things in a peaceful, calm manner. We don't have to go about destroying our communities like that."
But Trump's blatant political use of (and feigned outrage over) the death of Dorn, who's described in multiple reports as a widely respected member of his community, is unfortunately taking away from the genuine tribute messages on social media.
