San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon on Tuesday gave his first interview since the deadly Feb. 12 standoff between disgruntled former Los Angeles police officer Chris Dorner and deputies in the San Bernardino Mountains.
Sitting in his office at the Sheriff's Department, McMahon, who had been sworn in as Sheriff less than two months before Dorner engaged sheriff's deputies in a deadly gun battle in Seven Oaks, reflected on the magnitude of the event and the impact it had on the law enforcement community.
"This type of an event is tragic, and no law enforcement leader ever wants to be in that position -- where you lose an officer and one gets seriously injured in a gun battle," McMahon said. "It's tragic.
It's terrible and I hope I'm never in that position again. "
Dorner is believed to have taken his own life after a sheriff's SWAT team inserted pyrotechnic tear gas into the cabin in which Dorner barricaded himself on Glass Road, above Angelus Oaks.
He didn't go quietly. Dorner shot and killed Deputy Jeremiah MacKay and seriously wounded his partner, Deputy Alex Collins, prior to his own fiery death.
Dorner, who launched a killing spree to send a message about his claims of corruption at the Los Angeles Police Department following what he said was his wrongful termination, is also suspected of killing the daughter of a retired LAPD captain, her fiance, and a Riverside police officer, as well as seriously wounding that officer's partner.
The standoff drew a throng of police officers from agencies across Southern California: Los Angeles, Irvine, the CHP, the Forest Service and Cal Fire.
But all eyes were on the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, which came under aggressive media scrutiny for its use of the pyrotechnic tear gas. One investigative journalist, Max Blumenthal, said in an interview the department engaged in an "extrajudicial execution" of Dorner.
McMahon dismissed such criticism, standing by his initial statement that the department did nothing wrong and its tactics were by the book. He said Dorner was given plenty of verbal commands, via a public address system, to exit the cabin and surrender, but he didn't.
The SWAT team first shot cold tear gas into the cabin, which didn't draw out Dorner. So the pyrotechnic tear gas, which emits a higher concentration of gas, was used, which ignited the cabin, McMahon said, Shortly thereafter, a single distinct gunshot, unlike the volley of gunshots that were fired from the cabin during the gun battle, was heard from inside the cabin, followed by silence.
McMahon said everyone in law enforcement should study and learn from the event.
"As I thought about this, if it was not our department involved in this event, we would be watching this event on TV, looking at what they were doing and asking ourselves, 'If this occurred in our county, would we be prepared to deal with it, and how would we deal with it?'" McMahon said. "So this is a learning event for law enforcement across the country. Clearly, everybody can learn from an event like this. "
Below, pictures from the manhunt and siege of Christopher Dorner.
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In this image taken from video provided by KABC-TV, the cabin in Big Bear, Calif. where ex-Los Angeles police officer Christopher Dorner is believed to be barricaded inside is in flames Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013. (AP Photo/KABC-TV) MANDATORY CREDIT: KABC-TV
In this image taken from video provided by KABC-TV, the cabin in Big Bear, Calif. where ex-Los Angeles police officer Christopher Dorner is believed to be barricaded inside is in flames Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013. (AP Photo/KABC-TV) MANDATORY CREDIT: KABC-TV
Los Angeles Police Commander Andrew Smith, second from left, expresses condolences for the death of a San Bernardino County deputy, as he briefs the media about the shootout scene in Big Bear that allegedly involves triple-murder suspect Christopher Jordan Dorner, during a late news conference in front of the Police Administration Building in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013. Lt. Bill Whalen, of the Irvine Police Department, far left, and LAPD Officer Norma Eisenman, right, stand with Smith. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Los Angeles Police Commander Andrew Smith, left, expresses condolences for the death of a San Bernardino County deputy, as he briefs the media about the shootout scene in Big Bear that allegedly involves triple-murder suspect Christopher Jordan Dorner, during a late news conference in front of the Police Administration Building in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013. Lt. Bill Whalen, of the Irvine Police Department, middle and LAPD officer Norma Eisenman, right, stand with Smith. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Cindy Bachman, public information officer for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, talks about the hunt for accused killer and fired Los Angeles police Officer Christopher Dorner in Angelus Oaks, Caif., Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
A Redlands Police officer walks near a road blockade near the entrance to the San Bernardino National Forest in southern California after Christopher Dorner, a fugitive ex-Los Angeles cop sought in three killings, engaged in a shootout with authorities that wounded two officers in the San Bernardino Mountains near Big Bear Lake, Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013. (AP Photo/The Sun, Gabriel Luis Acosta) VENTURA COUNTY STAR OUT; RIVERSIDE PRESS-ENTERPRISE OUT; THE VICTOR VALLEY DAILY PRESS OUT
YUCAIPA, CA - FEBRUARY 12: Redlands police officers secure at a blockade during a manhunt for the former Los Angeles Police Department officer Christopher Dorner who is suspected of triple murder on February 12, 2013 in Yucaipa, California. Dorner barricaded himself in a cabin near Big Bear, California and is in a standoff with authorities after shooting two police officers, killing one and wounding the other. Dorner, a former Los Angeles Police Department officer and Navy Reserve veteran, is wanted in connection with the deaths of an Irvine couple and a Riverside police officer. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Shantel Cardiel (L) and Frank Cardiel hold up signs in support of fugitive triple murder suspect Christopher Dorner along the road in San Bernardino, California n February 12, 2013. Fugitive former US cop Christopher Dorner exchanged gunfire with police near a Californian ski resort where his burnt-out truck was found, reports said. The 33-year-old was involved in the shooting after he tried to burglarize a home near Big Bear, two hours east of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing a law enforcement source. AFP PHOTO / David McNew (Photo credit should read DAVID MCNEW/AFP/Getty Images)
Shantel Cardiel holds up a sign in support of fugitive triple murder suspect Christopher Dorner along the road in San Bernardino, California n February 12, 2013. Fugitive former US cop Christopher Dorner exchanged gunfire with police near a Californian ski resort where his burnt-out truck was found, reports said. The 33-year-old was involved in the shooting after he tried to burglarize a home near Big Bear, two hours east of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing a law enforcement source. AFP PHOTO / David McNew (Photo credit should read DAVID MCNEW/AFP/Getty Images)
ANGELUS OAKS, CA - FEBRUARY 12: A San Bernardino Sheriff's Department deputy watches as a car is towed away after a standoff and a shootout with former Los Angeles Police Department officer Christopher Dorner who is suspected of triple murder on February 12, 2013 in Angelus Oaks, California. Dorner barricaded himself in a cabin near Big Bear, California which later caught fire. According to the LAPD the cabin remains too hot to enter and a body has not been located. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Law Enforcement personnel gear up along Hwy 38 during the hunt for accused killer and fired Los Angeles police officer, Christopher Dorner in Yacaipa, Caif.,Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013. Dorner, a man police believe to be the fugitive ex-Los Angeles officer wanted in three killings, was barricaded inside a burning cabin Tuesday after a shootout in a California mountain town that left one deputy dead and another wounded. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Los Angeles Police Commander Andrew Smith, left, briefs the media about the shootout scene in Big Bear that allegedly involves triple-murder suspect Christopher Jordan Dorner, during a news conference in front of the Police Administration Building in Los Angeles Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
A Redlands Police officer inspects a vehicle near the entrance to the San Bernardino National Forest, Calif. after fugitive ex-Los Angeles cop Christopher Dorner, sought in three killings, is believed to have engaged in a shootout with authorities that wounded two officers in the San Bernardino Mountains near Big Bear Lake, Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013. (AP Photo/The Sun, Gabriel Luis Acosta) LA TIMES; VENTURA COUNTY STAR; RIVERSIDE PRESSENTERPRISE; THE VICTOR VALLEY DAILY PRESS OUT MANDATORY CREDIT
Law Enforcement personnel block Hwy 38 during the hunt for accused killer and ex-Los Angeles police officer Christopher Dorner in Yacaipa, Caif., Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013. Dorner is believed to be barricaded in a cabin Tuesday after a furious gunbattle with police in the snow-covered mountains of Southern California, authorities said, the culmination of an intensive manhunt that left a region an edge for nearly a week. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Law Enforcement personnel search a vehicle along Hwy 38 during the hunt for accused killer and ex-Los Angeles police officer Christopher Dorner in Yacaipa, Caif., Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013. Dorner is believed to be barricaded in a cabin Tuesday after a furious gunbattle with police in the snow-covered mountains of Southern California, authorities said, the culmination of an intensive manhunt that left a region an edge for nearly a week. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Los Angeles Police Commander Andrew Smith, right, briefs the media about the shootout scene in Big Bear that allegedly involves triple-murder suspect Christopher Jordan Dorner, during a news conference in front of the Police Administration Building in Los Angeles Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013. At left, Lt. Bill Whalen of the Irvine Police Department.
A Redlands Police officer walks near a road blockade near the entrance to the San Bernardino National Forest in southern California near Big Bear Lake, Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013.
Redlands Police officers man a blockade near the entrance to the San Bernardino National Forest in southern California after Christopher Dorner engaged in a shootout with authorities that wounded two officers in the San Bernardino Mountains near Big Bear Lake, Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013.
Members on the California Highway Patrol search a truck for Christopher Dorner on Friday, Feb. 8, 2013, in Big Bear Lake, Calif.
A San Bernardino County Sheriff SWAT team returns to the command post at Bear Mountain near Big Bear Lake, Calif. after searching for Christopher Jordan Dorner on Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. Search conditions have been hampered by a heavy winter storm in the area. Dorner, a former Los Angeles police officer, is accused of carrying out a killing spree because he felt he was unfairly fired from his job. (AP Photo/Pool, The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Will Lester)
A police vehicle patrols the streets of Big Bear Lake, Calif., Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013. Clear skies allowed aircraft with heat-sensing technology to aid scores of officers searching in the snow-covered San Bernardino Mountains for Christopher Dorner, the former Los Angeles police officer suspected of killing three people in a vengeance-fueled rampage aimed at those he blames for ending his career. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
San Bernardino County Sheriff's officer Bernabe Ortiz holds a pistol as he searches a home for former Los Angeles police officer Christopher Dorner in Big Bear Lake, Calif, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013. The hunt for the former Los Angeles police officer suspected in three killings entered a fourth day in snow-covered mountains Sunday, a day after the police chief ordered a review of the disciplinary case that led to the fugitive's firing and new details emerged of the evidence he left behind. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
San Bernardino County Sheriff's officers Ken Owens, center, and Bernabe Ortiz search a home for former Los Angeles police officer Christopher Dorner in Big Bear Lake, Calif, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013. The hunt for the former Los Angeles police officer suspected in three killings entered a fourth day in snow-covered mountains Sunday, a day after the police chief ordered a review of the disciplinary case that led to the fugitive's firing and new details emerged of the evidence he left behind. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
San Bernardino County Sheriff's officer Ken Owens searches a home for the former Los Angeles police officer Christopher Dorner in Big Bear Lake, Calif, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013. The hunt for the former Los Angeles police officer suspected in three killings entered its fourth day in the snow-covered mountains on Sunday, a day after the police chief ordered a review of the disciplinary case that led to the fugitive's firing and new details emerged of the evidence he left behind. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
California Highway Patrol officers search a truck for former Los Angeles police officer Christopher Dorner at a checkpoint near Big Bear Lake, Calif, Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. Law enforcement officers working in falling snow searched the Southern California mountain for Dorner, who is accused of carrying out a killing spree because he felt he was unfairly fired from his job. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A San Bernardino County Sheriff SWAT team returns to the command post at Bear Mountain near Big Bear Lake, Calif.
A San Bernardino County Sheriff SWAT team returns to the command post at Bear Mountain near Big Bear Lake, Calif. after searching for Christopher Jordan Dorner on Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. Search conditions have been hampered by a heavy winter storm in the area.
U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement vehicles are covered in snow near the command post in Big Bear Lake, Calif, Friday, Feb. 8, 2013.
U.S. Marshals deputies look behind the vegetation as they stand on guard outside the home of the mother of fugitive suspect Christopher Dorner on Friday, Feb. 8, 2013.
This image shows Christopher Dorner from Jan. 28, 2013 surveillance video at an Orange County, Calif., hotel.
A digital billboard along Santa Monica Boulevard on the west side of Los Angeles shows a "wanted" alert on Friday, Feb. 8, 2013.
California Highway Patrol officers search a vehicle for former Los Angeles police officer Christopher Dorner at a checkpoint near Big Bear Lake, Calif, Friday, Feb. 8, 2013.
A California Highway Patrol officer tells a driver to roll the window at a checkpoint near Big Bear Lake, Calif, Friday, Feb. 8, 2013.
San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputies gather at the command post in Big Bear Lake, Calif, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013. Clear skies allowed aircraft with heat-sensing technology to aid scores of officers searching in the snow-covered San Bernardino Mountains for Christopher Dorner, the former Los Angeles police officer suspected of killing three people in a vengeance-fueled rampage aimed at those he blames for ending his career. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputies board a snow cat at the command post in Big Bear Lake, Calif., Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013.
A San Bernardino County Sheriff's helicopter flies over Big Bear Lake, Calif., Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013.
A U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement officer follows tracks left in the snow while searching a home for former Christopher Dorner in Big Bear Lake, Calif, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013. Clear skies allowed aircraft with heat-sensing technology to aid scores of officers searching in the snow-covered San Bernardino Mountains.
San Bernardino Sheriff's Department officer Steven Spagon mans a check point during the search in Big Bear Lake, Calif. Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. Law enforcement officials spent all night searching the snowy mountains of Southern California.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies stand alert outside the Twin Towers jail, which was put on lockdown after an alleged sighting of suspect Christopher Jordan Dorner Friday Feb. 8, 2013 in Los Angeles. The lockdown was later lifted. Law enforcement officers worked through the night amid an incoming snow storm searching for the former Los Angeles police officer accused of carrying out a killing spree because he felt he was unfairly fired from his job.
Cindy Bachman, public information officer for the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department, updates the media on the search for fired Los Angeles police officer, Christopher Dorner.
This undated series of photos shows suspect Christopher Dorner. Dorner, who was fired from the LAPD in 2008 for making false statements, is linked to a weekend killing in which one of the victims was the daughter of a former police captain who had represented him during the disciplinary hearing.
This undated photo released by the Los Angeles Police Department shows suspect Christopher Dorner, a former Los Angeles officer. Dorner, who was fired from the LAPD in 2008 for making false statements, is linked to a weekend killing in which one of the victims was the daughter of a former police captain who had represented him during the disciplinary hearing. Authorities believe Dorner opened fire early Thursday on police in cities east of Los Angeles, killing an officer and wounding another. Police issued a statewide "officer safety warning" and police were sent to protect people named in the posting that was believed to be written by Dorner. (AP Photo/Los Angeles Police Department)
This undated photo shows suspect Christopher Dorner. (AP Photo/Los Angeles Police Department)
This undated photo shows suspect Christopher Dorner. Police issued a statewide "officer safety warning" and police were sent to protect people named in the posting that was believed to be written by Dorner.
Here, former Los Angeles police officer Christopher Jordan Dorner is shown. Dorner is a suspect in the killings of Monica Quan and her fiance, Keith Lawrence.
Los Angeles police Chief Charlie Beck, right, comments on fired officer, Christopher Dorner, Dorner's multiple weapons, including an assault rifle, during a news conference at the LAPD headquarters in Los Angeles Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013.
Los Angeles Police Public Information officers: Sara Faden, left, and Officer Norma Eisenman carry photos of suspect Christopher Dorner during a news conference at the LAPD headquarters in Los Angeles Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013. At left, Assistant Chief Sandy Jo MacArthur.
Corona, Calif., Police officers stand near the site of a police shooting Thursday Feb. 7, 2013 in Corona, Calif.
A burned-out pickup truck belonging to ex-Los Angeles police officer Christopher Dorner is towed after it was discovered in Big Bear, Calif, Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013.
A bullet-damaged Los Angeles Police vehicle is taped off by police on Thursday Feb. 7, 2013 in Corona, Calif.
A Los Angeles Police officer checks his weapon at the site of a shooting Thursday Feb. 7, 2013 in Corona, Calif.
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