The decision to deploy the rolling RoboCop in Dallas safeguarded lives, experts said, but triggered discussion of how such robots should best be used in a civilian population.
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Brown also said that after officers sent in a bomb-equipped robot by remote-control to stop Johnson’s killing spree, they found a message written in blood containing markings and the letters “RB”, the Associated Press reported. Arrangements for the other two officers are pending.
For instance, Johnson “liked” the African American Defense League, a group that put out on its Facebook page, shortly after news broke of the police shooting of Philando Castile – the Minneapolis man who was pulled over by an officer for a broken tail light, and who then was fatally shot – that it was time to act.
Police in Dallas are trying to piece together what happened in the deadly attack on police officers last week – downloading and poring over 170 hours of video and trying to get to the bottom of initials “R.B.” scrawled by suspected gunman Micah Johnson in two locations during his final hours, Dallas Police Chief David Brown said this morning.
“Social media is new territory, and while it’s been established that hate speech is protected by the First Amendment, we’re talking about people specifically saying on Facebook they want to kill white police officers”, Craig said.
“If someone threatens to kill the president, that person would be arrested and prosecuted”, Craig said. It also raises new questions over when it’s appropriate to dispatch a robot to kill unsafe suspects instead of continuing to negotiate their surrender. And “this wasn’t an ethical dilemma for me”.
The robot used to deliver the explosive device was purchased in 2008 for approximately $151,000.
During an interview with Jones, Johnson’s parents said they didn’t see the signs of a pending attack.
“We don’t know the scope of his plans yet”, chief says. Authorities have said the 25-year-old kept a journal of combat tactics and had amassed a personal arsenal at his home that included bomb-making materials.
The police department is helping prepare for Tuesday’s memorial service that will include President Barack Obama.
Dallas police will not be the lead agency on security plans.
Ryan Lenz, online editor and senior writer at the Southern Poverty Law Center, said the number of black separatist groups almost doubled in 2015, mirroring a similar increase among white hate groups that has taken place as police killings make frequent headlines. “And that’s still in me, that keeps me going”, Chief Brown said.
William, who is black, urged an end to the violence.
Dr. Alex Eastman, the director of the hospital’s trauma center who also is a deputy medical director with the city’s police department, said the shootings “rocked some guys to their core that I thought were unshakable”.
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The shootings just a few blocks from where President John F. Kennedy was slain in 1963 marked the deadliest day for US law enforcement since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. “I’d do it again.to save our officers’ lives”.
