Dallas Chief: Suspect in Ambush That Killed 5 Officers Wanted to Kill White People, White Cops
Said he was upset about recent police shootings and was part of “Black Lives Matter”.
Five Dallas police officers were killed and seven wounded by a sniper who “wanted to kill white people” during an anti-police brutality protest Thursday, an explosion of violence that President Obama declared a “vicious, calculated and despicable attack on law enforcement.”
A gunman identified by The Associated Press as Micah Johnson, 25, negotiated with police from inside a parking garage into the early morning hours, telling police he was angered over racially charged shootings and wanted to kill white people, police said. Johnson was killed when police sent a robot in to detonate a bomb, police said.
Police and federal authorities were working to determine whether more people were involved in what was the nation’s deadliest day for police since 9/11.
“We’re hurting,” said Dallas Police Chief David Brown in a Friday morning news conference. “Our profession is hurting. Dallas officers are hurting. We are heartbroken. There are no words to describe the atrocity that occurred to our city. All I know is this must stop, this divisiveness betweeen our police and our citizens.”
The protest was one of several around the country, prompted by police shootings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota.
Brown said the dead suspect told authorities he was angry about police shootings.
“He said he was upset at white people,” Brown said. “He said he wanted to kill white people, especially white police officers.”
Prayers to the families, officers, all affected by this. Good will triumph over this evil. #PrayForDallas pic.twitter.com/npTFAnNvB6
— Dallas Police Assoc (@DPA_PoliceAssoc) July 8, 2016
Initial reports said there was more than one sniper, but at the news conference, Brown indicated the dead suspect may have been the sole gunman. Although he told police he was “not affiliated” with anyone else, three others were being held.
A woman was taken into custody near the garage and two men reportedly seen packing a camouflage bag into a Mercedes before speeding from the scene were apprehended and detained, the mayor said.
A Dallas police source estimated to Fox News that at least 60 rounds were fired over a “large kill zone.” The source added that the shooting would have required considerable planning.
The suspect was killed when police sent an explosives-equipped robot into the El Centro Community College parking garage to detonate the bomb after negotiations went nowhere, Brown said, refuting earlier reports that the man killed himself. Before he died, he had claimed that explosives had been set around the city, and much of downtown Dallas was locked down while police searched before determining there were no bombs.
“It’s a heartbreaking moment for the city of Dallas,” Mayor Mike Rawlings said. “I ask that everybody focus on one thing right now, and that is Dallas police officers, their families, those that are deceased [and] those that are in the hospital fighting for their lives.”
Obama, speaking from a NATO summit in Poland, said America is “horrified” over the shootings and asked all Americans to pray for the fallen officers and their families. He renewed his calls for more gun control.
VIDEO: Facebook Live Video of the Police Shooting:
Three other DART officers were wounded, but they are expected to recover, Lyons said. As many as three city police officers reportedly were in critical condition.
Witness Carlos Harris told the Dallas Morning News the gunfire was “strategic. It was tap-tap-pause. Tap-tap-pause.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott released a statement saying he has directed the Texas Department of Public Safety director to offer “whatever assistance the City of Dallas needs at this time.”
“In times like this we must remember — and emphasize — the importance of uniting as Americans,” Abbott said.
Photo of the wrong guy.
We are going to have more of these events because there are so many ill informed voters who vote the wrong people into office.