Coroner’s Office identifies 2 of 3 killed in failed Carmichael apartment robbery

Two of the three men fatally shot during a failed robbery attempt at a Carmichael apartment Sunday have been identified by authorities.

The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office on Tuesday confirmed that Zavion Larue Dorsey, 22, of Rancho Cordova, and Wayne Douglas Doerr, 24, were among those killed in what investigators say was a robbery that turned deadly. The third man, who deputies said was also in his 20s, has not yet been publicly identified.

Deputies responded around 7 a.m. Sunday to the apartment unit on the 4800 block of El Camino Avenue after a caller reported bullet holes in a door and could not reach family members inside. At the apartment, deputies found three men dead from gunshot wounds. Firearms were located next to the bodies, the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Monday announcing that homicide charges would not be filed.

An 18-year-old occupant of the apartment, who was also illegally armed with a handgun, returned fire, killing the alleged robbers, the Sheriff’s Office said. The teen faces arraignment Wednesday on a felony weapons charge and for failing to obey an order of juvenile court.

The Sheriff’s Office said video surveillance and a witness confirmed the sequence of events in the botched robbery. Detectives said the facts of the case did not meet the legal threshold for murder charges under California law.

The Sheriff’s Office also said the investigation was delayed because property managers at the Lance Apartments, operated by Mercy Housing, did not initially provide access to surveillance video.

In a statement late Monday, the operators of the Lance Apartments said it was reviewing how it responds to critical incidents and was working “in close collaboration” with the Sheriff’s Office.

“The tragic incident at the Lance Apartments has shaken us all,” Mercy Housing spokesperson Kate Peterson said. She added that Denver-based nonprofit group, which manages affordable housing across the nation, would “implement any necessary updates to ensure our staff members are prepared to respond quickly to urgent and evolving situations.”