Christopher Jordan Dorner was born on June 4, 1979, in southern California. He grew up in the area and attended Cypress High School, where he graduated in 1997. After high school, he went on to Southern Utah University and graduated in 2001 with a major in political science and a minor in psychology. While at the university, he played as a running back on the football team from 1999 to 2000.

Dorner later mentioned that he was the only African-American student at his school from first grade to seventh grade. He had some conflicts during this time due to racism. As a teenager, Dorner decided he wanted to become a police officer. He joined a youth program offered by the police department in La Palma, California, where he lived during that time.

Neighbors described him as a part of a respected and well-liked family. Dorner was known to keep to himself. He was previously married, but his wife filed for divorce in 2007, and they had no children together.

On February 1, 2013, Christopher Dorner sent a package containing a DVD and a bullet-riddled challenge coin to Anderson Cooper at CNN. This marked the beginning of a killing spree. On February 3, in Irvine, California, Dorner shot and killed Monica Quan and her fiancé Keith Lawrence. Quan was the daughter of a former LAPD captain who had represented Dorner during his dismissal from the police force.

Dorner's actions escalated quickly. On February 6, his manifesto was published online. It outlined his grievances against the LAPD and named specific targets, including Randal Quan's family. The following day, on February 7, Dorner shot at two LAPD officers who were responding to a tip about him, grazing one of them in the head. Shortly after, he ambushed two Riverside police officers at a stoplight, killing one and seriously injuring the other.

Dorner fled the area, and a massive manhunt ensued, spanning California and neighboring states. Authorities found his burned vehicle days later, around February 12. Dorner was tracked to a cabin near Big Bear Lake. That day, he was cornered by law enforcement. He opened fire on deputies, resulting in the death of one officer, Detective Jeremiah MacKay.

Law enforcement surrounded the cabin and attempted to communicate with Dorner. When he did not surrender, they used tear gas to force him out. Eventually, the cabin was set on fire due to the use of pyrotechnic tear gas canisters. Amid the chaos, a single gunshot was heard from within the cabin.

On February 13, officials confirmed that human remains were found in the cabin. The next day, an autopsy revealed that Dorner died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. His death concluded a violent series of events resulting from his grievances against the LAPD.