The widow of retired St. Louis Police Capt. David Dorn, who was murdered during the 2020 unrest in Missouri, sounded off after police in the area released new bodycam footage of a protester brutally beating a Ferguson Police officer over the weekend.

Ann Dorn, a retired sergeant from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the widow of Dorn, said people have the right to protest, but when it turns violent, there needs to be dire consequences.

“The people who start these, a protest is one thing, but when it turns violent, those people need to be looked at as either terrorists or be charged with rioting, not just assault, destruction of property. There are rioting charges, and it needs to be handled accordingly,” Dorn said. 

Capt. Dorn was shot and killed by looters while attempting to protect a store in June 2020 in the aftermath of nationwide riots after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. 

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On Friday, Ferguson Police Officer Travis Brown suffered a brain injury after protesters charged and knocked him to the ground, beating him during a protest.

The protest and confrontation erupted the evening of Aug. 9 outside the police station. 

City officials blocked off parts of the street earlier in the day so people could demonstrate and march to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the killing of Michael Brown Jr., which became part of a national push to reform policing and helped fuel the Black Lives Matter movement.

However, throughout the night, the protest became more violent. 

“There’s going to be a higher penalty for that because a protest is your First Amendment right. You can do that. But once you step over the line to violence, it’s uncalled for,” Dorn said. 

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During a press conference Tuesday, Ferguson Mayor Ella Jones and St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell joined Police Chief Troy Doyle to share the new videos of the attack on Officer Brown with the public. They also announced new charges and continued to offer support for Officer Brown and his family.

The new footage shows Elijah M. Gantt, the man charged with causing Officer Brown’s brain injury, with a bullhorn, leading people to shake the gate in front of the police station. 

Gantt can be seen charging and knocking Officer Brown to the ground on the sidewalk. 

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Brown, 36, joined the St. Louis County Police Department in 2012 and was dispatched to Ferguson during the 2014 protests. He joined the Ferguson Police Department in January 2024, according to Fox 2. 

Bell announced a new charge of fourth-degree assault against Gantt for kicking another officer in the head during his arrest. Gantt is being held on $500,000 bond.

“We respect everyone’s First Amendment rights. You have a right to peacefully protest, but when you cross the line of harming folks that are damaging property, you’re going to be held accountable,” Bell said. 

“If you haven’t condemned this act, if you haven’t condemned what happened to my officer, then you are part of the problem.” — St. Louis Police Chief Troy Doyle

Dorn added that while police officers are trained to handle escalated situations, nothing prepares them for someone she said is trying to inflict “terroristic, violent acts.”

“If someone’s willing to kill a police officer, they’ll kill anybody. If they’re willing to hurt a policeman, they’ll hurt anybody,” she explained. “Because we are known to fight back. We are known to shoot back. If you shoot at us, we’re trained to shoot back. If you fight with us, we’re trained to fight back. So, if you take that chance, then you run the risk of serious harm. And if you’re going to do that with us, you won’t stop at just us.”

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey also shared his reaction with Fox News Digital.

“What happened over the weekend in Ferguson was abhorrent. Anyone who targets our men and women in uniform must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Bailey said. “I will always back our men and women in blue.” 

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Dorn said seeing the Brown family go through what she and her family had to go through four years ago is heart-wrenching and recalled how hard it was for her own family.

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“I think I got a little lax because Dave was retired when he was killed. It should not have happened. You know, I shouldn’t have gotten that knock on the door anymore. He was retired, so I kind of let my guard down,” Dorn said. 

“I mentally, physically, could not go back to work after that. I couldn’t be a police officer after that because I didn’t know how I would react. And that was another heart-wrenching thing for me because I loved what I did. And I felt like I was abandoning so many people when I left the police department, but I knew I couldn’t help. And I couldn’t do the job I was doing that I did before.”

Dorn added Chief Doyle and his department had been doing a phenomenal job supporting the Brown family, and she prays they will get through this and for a speedy recovery for Officer Brown.