SAN BERNARDINO, Calif., (Reuters) – A cabin in the mountains above Los Angeles where fugitive and former cop Christopher Dorner is believed to have died following a gunfight with police was not purposely set on fire by law enforcement, the San Bernardino County sheriff said yesterday.
“It was not done on purpose. We did not intentionally burn down that cabin to get Mr. Dorner out,” Sheriff John McMahon said at an afternoon press conference.
Investigators had not yet formally identified charred remains found in the burned-out structure, although they are believed to be those of 33-year-old Dorner.
“I cannot absolutely, positively confirm it’s him,” McMahon said. “The suspect that we were following … matched his description.
His behavior based on our deputies’ interaction with him inside the vacant cabin was consistent with Mr. Dorner’s activity prior to and we are not currently involved in a manhunt any longer.”
“Our coroner’s division is working on trying to confirm the identity through forensics and we should know that at some point here soon,” he said. Dorner was wanted in a killing spree targeting police officers when a man matching his description was cornered in the cabin in the San Bernardino National Forest yesterday.
He had been on the run since last Wednesday, when he was named as the prime suspect in the slaying of a couple in Irvine, south of Los Angeles.
