Johnson, a veteran who had served in Afghanistan, took advantage of a spontaneous protest in Dallas over the two killings by police to launch his attack, Brown said. “He saw the protest in Dallas as an opportunity to start wreaking havoc on our officers”.
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Investigators are looking at where former Army reservist Micah Xavier Johnson, 25, was in the days and hours leading up to the attacks.
Micah Johnson, the gunman who killed five police officers in Dallas, showed a noticeable change in behaviour after being discharged from the United States army past year.
Brown said a search of Johnson’s home showed the gunman had practised using explosives, and that other evidence suggested he wanted to use them against law enforcement officers.
“He was clear of mind determined to hurt more officers, and without our actions he would have hurt more officers so we had no choice in my mind but to use all tools necessary, and it was about a pound of C4 to end the standoff”, Brown said. The shooter wrote the letters “R-B” on the wall of the parking garage in his own blood where police later killed him. The police chief said he did not recall what exactly Johnson was singing but said the force was attempting to transcribe the audio of the conversation and would release it once it was done.
According to a court filing, the victim said she wanted Johnson to “receive mental help”, and sought a protective order to keep him away from her and her family. “They come from the communities they police”, Bratton explained to “Face the Nation”.
“We don’t know how the bombing aspects of his plans were going to play out, ” Chief Brown added, saying he had a “large stockpile” of materials.
James Johnson (55), the gunman’s father, said in the joint interview, sitting alongside his former wife and with his current wife on the other side, that his son began studying black history after leaving the military previous year.
“Bravery is not a strong enough word to describe what they did that day”, he said. “And it ended up being a fatal funnel”.
“There’s no greater love than to give your life for someone, and that’s what we are continuing to be willing to do”, he said, adding; “We just need to hear from protesters, back to us, ‘We appreciate the work you do for us, in our right to protest.’ That should be fairly easy”. When he sees officers in restaurants, he says he’ll pick up their tabs.
Investigators tell NPR they also are starting to look at Johnson’s online history, and have mirrored the hard drive on his computer to see what they might discover there. “We’re hiring”, Brown said. “I’m not ashamed to say it”, Brown said.
The investigation into Johnson and any potential accomplices is ongoing. Some protestors carried AR-15 rifles and wore body armor and camouflage, apparently for effect, he said.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday he will not be able to make it because he’ll be undergoing skin grafts on his feet after suffering second- and third-degree burns on his feet and both legs below the knees.
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Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said those protesters led to some confusion during the shootings.
