Tributes to retired police captain killed in protests

A retired police captain who died during a night of violent protests in a US state was trying to protect his friend’s pawn shop, his widow said.

David Dorn’s last moments were caught on video.

He was killed by people who had broken into Lee’s Pawn & Jewellery, and his body found on the pavement. No arrests have been made.

His death came on a violent night in St Louis, Missouri, where four officers were shot, officers were pelted with rocks and fireworks, and 55 businesses were burgled or damaged.

Police also shot and gravely injured a burglary suspect.

Cities across the US have seen protests and violence since George Floyd died on May 25 after a white Minneapolis officer pressed his knee into Mr Floyd’s neck for several minutes even after the handcuffed black man stopped moving and pleading for air.

Mr Dorn was a friend of the pawn shop’s owner and frequently checked on the business when alarms went off, his wife, St Louis police Sergeant Ann Marie Dorn, told the St Louis PostDispatch.

Mr Dorn served 38 years on the St Louis police force before retiring in October 2007.

Former St Louis County police chief Tim Fitch knew Mr Dorn for 30 years and said they became close friends when Mr Dorn and his wife were leading the St Louis police department’s Explorers programme for young people interested in law enforcement careers, while Mr Fitch was leading the county’s programme.

“He was very dedicated to youth, especially disadvantaged youth,” said Mr Fitch, who led the St Louis County Police Department from 2009 to 2014.

“He wanted to see them succeed.

“He wanted to be a role model for those young men and women to go into law enforcement.”

Mr Dorn’s personality was “bigger than life,” Mr Fitch said.

A woman wipes tears away after leaving flowers