Dallas Police ID Shooter Killed by Robot Bomb (Photo)
“The suspect said he was upset about Black Lives Matter. He said he was upset about recent police shootings,” police chief says
Brian Flood | July 8, 2016 @ 8:35 AM
Last Updated: July 8, 2016 @ 12:55 PM
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Texas law enforcement officials have identified the slain suspect in the Dallas attack on police as 25-year-old Micah Xavier Johnson of Mesquite, Texas. CNN has reported that he is a former U.S. Army Reservist. Johnson was killed by a bomb robot after he refused to surrender, according to police.
Robotics expert Peter W. Singer of the New America Foundation said Dallas police appear to be the first law enforcement agency to use a robot to kill a suspect, according to the Associated Press. Earlier Friday, Dallas mayor Mike Rawlings and police chief David Brown held a joint news conference and said that the shooter, who now appears to be Johnson, wanted to kill white people.
“The suspect said he was upset about Black lives Matter. He said he was upset about recent police shootings. The suspect was upset at white people. The suspect stated he wanted to kill white people,” Brown said. “Especially white officers.”
The New York Post and various other publications have published a photo of the killer, reportedly from Johnson’s Facebook page. The Post says Johnson doesn’t have a known criminal history or affiliation to terror groups.
This image has been identified by a neighbor & a law enforcement source as Micah Xavier Johnson, dead Dallas gunman. pic.twitter.com/ki0yxvB8mR
— Edward Mejia Davis (@TeddyDavisCNN) July 8, 2016
Johnson allegedly shot 12 police officers and two civilians during a rally Thursday night to protest police shootings, killing five of them. Brown said the suspect, presumed to be Johnson, was cornered, and gun fire was exchanged after negotiations fell apart, so the bomb robot was brought in.
“The suspect stated that we will eventually find the IEDs. The suspect stated he was not affiliated with any groups,” Brown said. “He stated that he did this alone.”
According to the AP, Singer said in an e-mail on Friday that a U.S. soldier told him in 2009 that troops in Iraq sometimes used MARCbot surveillance robots to kill insurgents. It has now come to America.
“We saw no other option but to use our bomb robot … for it to detonate where the suspect was. Other options would have exposed our officers to grave dangers,” Brown said.
“The suspect is deceased as a result of detonating the bomb. The reporting that the suspect killed himself is not accurate.”
The Scene in Baltimore Following Freddie Gray's Death (Photos)
Freddie Gray suffered catastrophic injuries after he was arrested on Apr. 12 for running from Baltimore police. He slipped into a coma and died on Apr. 19.
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Protesters marched toward the Baltimore Police Western District station in a stand against police brutality and the death of Freddie Gray
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Protesters clashed with police during a march through Baltimore in honor of Freddie Gray on Apr. 25
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Gray's casket was unloaded for his funeral on Apr. 27, drawing thousands of people from all over the country
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Following Gray's funeral, at least 15 Baltimore police officers were injured on Apr. 27 when riots broke out in response to Gray's death
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Protesters set fires in the streets of Baltimore on Apr. 27 following Gray's funeral
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Cars were burned as rioters threw rocks and bricks at the police on Apr. 27
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Several police cars were destroyed by the crowds on Apr. 27
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A CVS pharmacy in Western Baltimore became symbolic of the riot when it was looted and burned on Apr. 27
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Riots continued throughout the night on Apr. 27
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By the end of the night on Apr. 27, nearly 200 people had been arrested
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Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan walked out of an interview with Don Lemon on Apr. 27, after the CNN anchor questioned their decision making
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A National Guardsman kept watch over a deserted Baltimore street on Apr. 28
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Burned out cars and wreckage smoldered as Baltimore prepared for an enforced curfew on Apr. 28
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One protestor laid down in the street in front of riot police on Apr. 28 rather than abide by the city-wide curfew
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Police fired tear gas into the crowd as residents resisted a city-wide 10 p.m. curfew on Apr. 28
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Fearful of large crowds and the safety of fans, the Baltimore Orioles played the Chicago White Sox on Apr. 29 in an empty stadium, the first time such a game has occurred
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Baltimore Orioles players beat the Chicago White Sox in an empty stadium on Apr. 29, with some pretending to sign autographs for invisible fans
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Protests spread on Apr. 29 to New York City as around 140 people were arrested in Union Square
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The outbound Holland Tunnel in New York was shut down on Apr. 29 as protestors flooded the streets
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New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony joined protesters in Baltimore on Apr. 30, the NBA All-Star grew up in Charm City
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Demonstrators clashed with police in Philadelphia during a march dubbed "Philly is Baltimore" on Apr. 30
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Violent protests took over the city as thousands demonstrated after the 25-year-old man died in police custody on Apr. 19
Freddie Gray suffered catastrophic injuries after he was arrested on Apr. 12 for running from Baltimore police. He slipped into a coma and died on Apr. 19.