The chief said that Johnson taunted cops, sang about his deeds, and demanded a Black negotiator during his two-hour standoff with cops before being killed by a remote-operated police bomb.
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The chief and the county’s most senior elected official also said Sunday that Micah Johnson had larger attack plans and possessed enough explosive material to inflict far greater harm.
Brown said 13 officers used force against the suspect – 11 officers used their firearms and 2 officers who used the explosive device.
During the interview, Brown added that there were indications Johnson was planning more wide-spread attacks, saying, “We’re convinced this suspect had other plans and thought that what he was doing was righteous”.
Brown said he and his family received death threats nearly immediately after the Thursday night attack, which left five officers dead nine others injured.
It was the third straight day of widespread protests after the fatal shooting of Alton Sterling (37) by police in Baton Rouge on Tuesday and the death of Philando Castile (32) on Wednesday night in a St Paul, Minnesota suburb, cities which both saw heated protests on Saturday.
Dallas police said Johnson was out to claim revenge for the recent police shootings of black men.
Dad James Johnson, 55, said his son never told anyone of his hatred for whites or other racial groups.
“Out of an abundance of caution, officers searched the garage to ensure reports of a suspicious person was thoroughly investigated”, Dallas police said.
It is believed to have been the first time that USA police have killed a suspect in this manner.
The parents of Dallas shooter Micah Johnson say they are surprised by his violent rampage and note he returned from an Army deployment to Afghanistan a changed man.
Chief Brown said police were caught off guard when protesters broke away from Thursday’s demonstration, and were thus exposed as they raced to block off intersections ahead of the marchers.
At one point Johnson, apparently wounded in an exchange of gunfire with police, wrote the letters “RB” in his own blood on the wall.
Brown commented on his decision to use a robot bomb to kill Johnson.
“And we just need to hear from the protesters back to us, ‘We appreciate the work you do for us in our right to protest, ‘” Brown said.
Brown also said two El Centro students had hidden in the building during the overnight standoff, because they were afraid to come out until the shooting stopped.
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“We’re the last to say we need help”, Brown said. The Rev. Carmen Cox Harwell, a Beachwood pastor and a former police chaplain, said she put flowers on Beachwood and South Euclid officers’ cars as a sign of gratitude.
