Hours after Will County, Il., prosecutors appeared at a court hearing with a Lynwood, Il., police officer charged in a bizarre two-state shooting spree, they set him free last night with an apology and the hope that he understands their error, reports the Chicago Tribune. Brian Dorian, 37, was released from jail as local law enforcement officials dropped a murder charge against him and resumed their hunt for a man known as the “honeybee gunman.” Dorian had been held in lieu of $2.5 million bail since his arrest Friday morning at his home.
“I feel horrible that Brian Dorian went through this,” Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow said. “I certainly would apologize for any inconvenience he has suffered. But at the same time, he is a police officer, and if he were in our shoes [] Brian Dorian would have acted the same way.” Lynwood police Chief Russell Pearson accused prosecutors of damaging Dorian’s reputation and dragging his fellow officers “through the mud.” The case against Dorian began to unravel yesterday when his lawyers presented prosecutors with evidence that the officer had been on his home computer the morning of the shootings. Dorian had previously told police that he had checked his e-mail and then watched ESPN and a local newscast around the time the crimes took place.