LAKELAND, Fla. -- Police are investigating a threat against the Lakeland city commissioner accused of shooting and killing a suspected shoplifter.
Commissioner Michael Dunn is still walking free more than two weeks after the shooting.
Calls for the commissioner's arrest are now coming from all over the country after police released video of the shooting caught on his gun store's cameras. That video sparked outrage and led to a new police investigation.
As they investigate the shooting, Lakeland Police are also looking into who sent an email to all of the city's commissioners, including Commissioner Michael Dunn, indirectly threatening him.
It reads, "bang bang pow pow michael dunn. we know where you live. and where your kid is."
“Threatening a public official is a second-degree felony, so we are going to investigate it thoroughly,” Lakeland Police Department spokesperson Gary Gross said.
Meanwhile, police and the state attorney's office are facing mounting pressure as they investigate Commissioner Dunn. He still hasn't been charged in the deadly October 3 shooting.
At the time, police said Dunn saw a man trying to steal a hatchet from his store. An argument broke out, they say, and he shot and killed the suspected shoplifter.
More than a week later, police released video that showed the shooting and the moments leading up to it. The suspect appears to be trying to leave the story when Dunn pulls the trigger.
In a 2016 story on gun store security, Dunn showed us the steps he takes to protect his products. Now it's one of those security measures, his own surveillance cameras, providing investigators with a critical piece of evidence in their investigation.
The state attorney's office tells us they expect their investigation into the shooting, which is independent from the police department’s, to wrap up by Friday.
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