"I've never been faced with a situation where I honestly believed that my kids and my family were in danger of immediate death," said LAPD Commander Phil Tingirides.
He and his wife, LAPD Sgt. Emada Tingirides, volunteered to speak to the media. Phil Tingirides made the final recommendation to fire Dorner. He was specifically mentioned in Dorner's infamous online manifesto.
"Certainly, anytime you're making a recommendation to the chief of police that will impact somebody's life so greatly, you always have that concern," Phil Tingirides said. "But never, ever did I think that somebody would go to this extent in their rage."
Dorner threatened to kill all officers who played a part in his dismissal from the force, including their families. Dorner's suspected killing spree began not far from their family home. The Tingirides talked openly about being on Dorner's hit list and explaining the situation to their children.
Emada Tingirides said she told her 10-year-old, "There is a crazy man trying to do bad things to a bunch of captains on the department." Her oldest son asked questions like what a sniper was.
"There were many times where we never broke down. We'd go in the garage and cry because we didn't want our kids to see the anguish and the hurt that we were feeling," said Emada Tingirides. "We had decided that we were going to remain strong for them throughout this whole ordeal."
Emada Tingirides was not named by Dorner in his manifesto, but she said she knew him and remembered his complaint against a fellow officer, that he was concerned that no one would believe his story because he was black.
"Everybody has to go through a process. There's always an investigation, there's always an interview, there's always an examination of the evidence. This happens to any color officer, not just because you're black," she said.
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck also addressed the press, providing updates on the review of Dorner's termination case.
"I don't for a minute discount the effect that Dorner's manifesto has had on the reputation of the Los Angeles Police Department," Beck said. "We do biopsies of cases all the time. Had this case come to my attention in a different way, very likely I would have had a biopsy done of it, take a look at it."
Beck said it could take up to a year to complete the review. He also said he is pushing for the full payout of the $1 million reward.
