Too Close

“Will you roll down your back windows, sir?” The policeman, gun drawn, spoke to Jerry this afternoon as he peered into our car on highway 18 in the San Bernardino mountains. Two policemen went to the back of our car, guns drawn, pulled open the back and peered inside.

We had pulled from our driveway around 1:00, heading down the mountains to an appointment in Fontana, 40 minutes or so away. We had not heard that at 12:30, a woman from Big Bear called the police to say she had just escaped from being tied up by Chris Dorner. Then we heard the shocking news that again this morning he had shot two more policemen. One of them–the father of a young baby–died a few hours ago at Loma Linda University Medical Center. The other policeman spent hours in surgery, but is expected to recover. Now the police had roadblocks at all the highways leading to and from the mountain communities.

The traffic had come to a complete and abrupt halt about 50 minutes before we reached the roadblock that was strewn with policemen, police cars, long guns and pistols. At first, we thought there must have been an accident, then from our car radio we heard the breaking news that made us suspect our traffic stall might be connected with Chris Dorner.

All the mountain roads were closed for hours. I called our daughter, Rebecca, who lives in San Bernardino and made plans to go to her place after our appointment. Fortunately, though, around 4:30 our highway opened and as soon as we could, we roared up the hill. Made it home just after dark.

It is likely that Chris Dorner is now lying dead in a smoldering cabin in Big Bear. The mountains are crawling with policemen, and although they are still following up on other leads, according to the news, they believe he is in a cabin that has been burned to the ground. They have not recovered a body. The fire site is still too hot to be entered.

I’ll be going to bed soon. As I do I am thinking of Chris Dorner, of whom I wrote in a post a few days ago, and noted him as saying, “I do not fear death, as I died long ago.” And his mother . . . tonight I think of her, and grieve.

___________________________________________________________________________UPDATE Update Wednesday 2/13: A body is seen, but has not been removed from the cabin. Positive identification has not been made but officials believe the person to be Chris Dorner.