The shooter, Micah Xavier Johnson, was “determined to hurt more officers” and bomb-making materials as well as a journal that were found in his home seem to suggest he had been practicing detonations.
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The suspect had enough explosives to do damage “throughout the north Texas area” – and left a final message written in his own blood mysteriously saying “RB”.
As reported, police killed the 25-year-old with a bomb robot hours after he opened fire during a Dallas protest over the recent shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.
Johnson told police negotiators he was upset at white people and wanted to kill white police officers.
Brown said he is “running on fumes” as the department investigates the shooting with the help of federal agents and regional law-enforcement agencies. “I didn’t see it coming”, said Mr Johnson, struggling to deal with his emotions as he spoke. Chief David Brown said detectives were still gathering evidence as there are more than 170 hours of body cam video that must be reviewed, and they are gathering police dashcam videos as well.
Brown said he stood by his decision but understood why questions have been raised about the use of deadly force against the gunman, rather than opting for a non-lethal method to disable him.
After being discharged, Micah began researching black history and his heritage, according to his father, James Johnson.
“If lethally equipped robots can be used in this situation, when else can they be used?” says Elizabeth Joh, a University of California at Davis law professor who has followed US law enforcement’s use of technology.
“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.
Both parents agreed their son never showed any outward signs of hatred for white people, indeed Johnson’s stepmother, Donna, is white. Five police were killed and several injured during a shooting in downtown Dallas Thursday night.
Brown said in an interview with CNN that Johnson served previously in Afghanistan and that he carried out this operation without prior preparation; he just shoot and changed position to distract the attention from the source.
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Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, speaking last week at the Emanuel AME church where nine worshippers were killed last summer, said bias exists in some police departments.
