Gary Police Department, Indiana
End of Watch: Thursday, January 15, 1998
Age: 27
Tour of Duty: 6 years
Badge Number: 120
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: January 15, 1998
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: Sentenced to 50 years
Detective Dorian Rorex was shot and killed after a brief foot chase of a drug suspect at 9:30 pm.
The detective was responding to complaints of drug activity with two other plainclothes detectives when they spotted a subject fitting the description of a drug dealer. As they pulled up next to him and identified themselves, the suspect began to run. Detective Rorex chased the suspect to a fence, and as he was climbing over, the suspect opened fire on him, striking him once in the chest and twice in the abdomen. He was pronounced dead approximately one hour later at the hospital. One of the other officers returned fire, hitting the suspect several times, paralyzing him.
The suspect pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 50 years. He was paroled in 2021.
Detective Rorex was a United States Marine veteran who had served in law enforcement for six years. He is survived by his 1-year-old son, an unborn child, his parents, two sisters, and a brother.