News >> Browse Articles >> Law Enforcement News

IL Officer Cleared of 'Honeybee' Murder Charges

Attorneys say prosecutors are expected to drop charges against Lynwood Police Officer Brian Dorian in the two-state shooting spree that left one man dead and two injured. [Personal Photo]

WILL COUNTY, IL – Admitting they arrested the wrong man, Will County authorities abruptly announced late Tuesday they will drop the murder charge filed against Lynwood Police Officer Brian Dorian.

The stunning announcement came four days after a similarly stunning announcement from the same authorities — that a suburban cop was the man who randomly shot three people near the Illinois/Indiana border.

But evidence recovered from Dorian’s personal computer showed he was at his Crete Township home at the start of the Oct. 5 shooting spree that left a construction worker dead outside rural Beecher in Will County, officials said.

“It would have been physically impossible for Brian Dorian to have committed this crime,” Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow said during a hastily called news conference only hours after Dorian appeared in court.

He offered an apology to the veteran cop who had pleaded not guilty in the fatal shooting of Rolando Alonso, 45, a father of 10.

“This is a terribly tragic case,” Glasgow said. “I feel horrible that Brian Dorian went through this. And I certainly would apologize for any inconvenience he has suffered.

“But at the same time, he’s a police officer. And if he were in our shoes and he had a suspect under these circumstances, Brian Dorian would have acted the same way.”

An uninjured survivor of the shooting identified Dorian as the gunman in a photo lineup and then in a personal lineup, Glasgow said.

“The circumstantial evidence in this case was uncanny,” he said.

Dorian, 37, was released late Tuesday from the Will County Jail on a recognizance bond that required him to post no cash. He is scheduled to return to court today so prosecutors can formally drop the murder charge.

His mother, Diane, said she’s relieved her son is out of jail and thanked all those who had supported him, including the Lynwood police. “The truth has come out and Brian is released,” she said. “He is doing as well as can be expected. He’s relieved. He’s tired.”

Defense attorney David Carlson said Dorian is concerned because a killer is still on the loose. “This has been eating him alive that he’s being prosecuted for this,” he said.

The admission by Glasgow and Will County Sheriff Paul Kaupas that they locked up the wrong man means a gunman that officials have called “mentally unstable” remains free. Police launched an intensive manhunt for the gunman last week and distributed two sketches.

Dorian was arrested Friday after authorities concluded he was the one responsible for the two shootings in Illinois and Indiana in which Alonso was killed and two others were seriously wounded. Dorian’s friends and family immediately said police had the wrong man. Dozens of his supporters packed the hearing Tuesday, some wearing “Free Brian” T-shirts.

In announcing Dorian’s arrest, Glasgow had described the arrest of a seemingly rogue cop as a “nightmare.” “It’s always law enforcement’s worst nightmare when someone within the law enforcement community chooses to break the law,” he said.