LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -
Despite the heinous crimes he's accused of, ex-LA cop Christopher Dorner has garnered a great deal of sympathy, especially on social media sites.
Some have gone as far as to call Dorner noble, writing "Go Chris" and "I'm cheering for you" as the saga came to an apparent end in a southern California cabin.
"It makes me sick," said retired Metro Officer Randy Sutton.
Sutton said Dorner's folk hero status online is mindboggling.
"He took the family members away, he destroyed their lives. And people are going to support him?" Sutton asked.
Larry Ashley, mental health coordinator for UNLV's Department of Educational Studies, said many American lived vicariously through Dorner, feeling wronged by society.
"Everybody's thought about getting their boss or doing something. They've just thought about it. They haven't done anything about it, and never would," Ashley said.
Ashley said that on top of that, throughout history there's been a glorification of outlaws, dating back to Robin Hood in the Middle Ages.
"You know there's tons of people on death row that have groupies and write them," he said.
Much of the online support for Dorner has focused on LAPD officers mistakenly firing on those driving blue pickup trucks similar to Dorner's. Still, Sutton said federal and southern California law enforcement did everything else right.
"The loss of life was probably kept to a minimum because of their actions," Sutton said.
There is considerable opposition to those who support Dorner, many posting pictures of the people he's accused of killing.
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Christopher Dorner. (Courtesy: LAPD via CNN Wire)
