MESQUITE, Texas (WHDH) — Police said the suspect who shot at police officers in Dallas, killing five of them, was ready for a violent attack and had a stockpile of weapons at his home in Texas.
Police said they found bomb-making materials at 25-year-old Micah Johnson’s house in the Dallas suburb of Mesquite. Bulletproof vests, rifles, ammunition and a personal journal of combat tactics were also found, according to police. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said Johnson used an AR-15 rifle in his ambush attack Thursday evening.
Johnson served in the Army Reserve for six years and the military said he did one tour of Afghanistan from November 2013 to July 2014. Neighbors told NBC News they often saw Johnson running obstacle courses in his backyard while wearing his Army uniform and carrying a rifle.
Police said Johnson opened fire on police officers after a peaceful protest march in downtown Dallas. The march was planned to protest two fatal shootings of black men by police officers in Louisiana and Minnesota. Five police officers were killed in the shooting; five other police officers and two demonstrators were wounded.
Dallas Police Chief David Brown said Johnson took refuge in a parking garage after the shootings, where he negotiated with officers for several hours. Sources told NBC News that Johnson was wearing body armor and could be heard laughing and singing during the standoff. Brown said Johnson told police he acted alone and was not affiliated with any groups. The standoff ended when Johnson was killed by a bomb police delivered with a robot.
“The suspect said he was upset at recent police shootings,” said Brown. “The suspect said he wanted to kill white people, especially white officers.”
Police said Johnson had no criminal history. A friend said he was not a violent person and others told police that he was a loner.
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