LAKELAND, Florida — Lakeland Police detectives are investigating an email threat made against Michael Dunn, the Lakeland City Commissioner who shot and killed an alleged shoplifter in his business on October 3.
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Lakeland Police said the deadly shooting at the Vets Army Navy Surplus Store is still under investigation. So far, no charges have been filed.
However, police are now looking into who wrote a threatening email to the Lakeland Commission on Tuesday, a day after surveillance video showing the fatal shooting was released to the public.
The email read, "bang bang pow pow michael dunn. we know where you live. and where your kid is."
"It's a threat made to a public official, so we've assigned it to a detective," said Gary Gross, spokesman for Lakeland Police. "They're doing their best to look into it, try to trace the email down and find out number one if it's a credible threat, where did it come from.”
Fellow city commissioner Phillip Walker told us he read it, as well.
"When you see those kind of words being used and that kind of connotation and that kind of phrase, the first thing that comes to my mind is ‘Oh my goodness,’" Walker said. "You know, what kind of person would even say it or put it in writing to indicate that kind of situation?"
Others receiving threats
Michael Dunn isn't the only one receiving threats. One of his tenants said she's received multiple threatening phone calls.
"We took a police report documenting that threat. And as with any other threat, we'll look into it to see if its a credible threat or not,” Gross said.
Gross said whoever sent the threatening email directed at Dunn would be facing a felony if detectives can figure out who sent it, which they said would be pretty tough.
Meanwhile, Gross said the department and Lakeland's police chief have received hundreds of emails from across the country regarding Dunn. Many of them have almost the same wording, demanding the chief arrest Dunn.
Dunn declined to speak to Spectrum Bay News 9 for this story.
The State Attorney's Office said it would have an update on his case by the end of the week.