Dorner is suspected of killing a total of four people, including A Riverside, Calif. police officer, a San Bernardino sheriff deputy and the daughter of a former police captain, in a one-man war against the Los Angeles Police Department over what he called the force's "lying, racism and cover-ups."

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After all, this is the city where the videotaped police beating of black motorist Rodney King" and subsequent acquittal of the officers involved sparked race riots in 1992. The department was also embroiled a rash of corruption charges and civil rights violations known as the Rampart scandal in the late 90s and early 2000s, which eventually involved an independent monitor set up by the LAPD and the federal government to guide and enforce reforms.

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Callers on talk radio popular in the African-American community in Los Angeles have been calling Dorner a hero, even proclaiming he was seeking vengeance for slavery, Rice says.

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"The way he responded to discrimination is not the correct way," says Donald Tibbs, a law professor at Drexel University who studies race and civil rights. "At the same time, his accusations seem to take us back and remind us of the days of old "maybe they're not so old."

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But in the end, even those who may have sympathized with Dorner's message likely have little love for his methods. His explicit threats against the families and children of his former colleagues may ultimately win the LAPD more friends than enemies, says William Deverell, a history professor at the University of Southern California.

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"The notion of targeting the family members of officers, that's just so heinous," Deverell says. "I can't imagine it wouldn't help spark some support for officers and families of the institution."