Biodun Iginla, BBC News

Biodun Iginla, BBC News

Friday, July 8, 2016

Dallas shooting: Bomb material found at suspect's home


Media captionA step-by-step guide to Dallas shootings

by Alyssa Mann and Biodun Iginla, BBC News, Dallas
Bomb-making material, rifles, ammunition and a combat journal have been found at the home of the suspect in the Dallas shooting, officials say.
Five police officers were killed and seven wounded in a hail of gunfire during a protest on Thursday against the shooting of black men by police.
The suspect, 25-year-old Micah Johnson, died after a long stand-off with police in central Dallas.
Mayor Mike Rawlings said officials believed he was "the lone shooter".
"We believe now the city is safe," the city mayor said at a news conference on Friday.
The protest in Dallas took place after this week's deaths of Philando Castile in Minnesota and Alton Sterling in Louisiana.
Officials said on Friday that gunmen targeted police officers and civilians in separate attacks in Georgia, Missouri and Tennessee in the aftermath of the Minnesota and Louisiana deaths.
In Tennessee, a black army veteran killed a woman and also injured three other people, including a police officer, as he opened fire on a motorway on Thursday morning.
After his arrest, he told investigators he was troubled by police violence against African-Americans.
In the Georgian state capital Atlanta on Friday evening, thousands marched in protest at the recent police shootings.
The protesters are currently in a stand-off with police as they block a major road.

'Wanted to kill whites'

Police in Dallas said the bomb-making material was found when they searched Micah Johnson's home in the suburb of Mesquite.
They also confirmed media reports that the suspect, an army veteran, was the person killed when they remotely detonated explosives they sent into the car park where he was holed up.
Images from the Facebook page of Micah JohnsonImage copyrightFACEBOOK
Image captionFacebook images show Micah Johnson giving a black power salute and dressed in military uniform
Mr Rawlings said the suspect was given a choice of "surrendering without harm or remaining in place", adding that he chose "the latter".
The authorities said that Johnson had no criminal history.
Media captionSidney Johnson captured the chaos in the aftermath of the shootings
Police Chief David Brown said the suspect had told a negotiator that he had wanted to kill white people, especially white police officers, because he was angry about the recent shootings of black men by police.
Mr Brown added that the man had said he was not affiliated with any groups he had acted alone.
Police arrested three people and initially said they believed at least two snipers had caught police in crossfire, shooting some officers in the back.

'Unfathomable tragedy'

Micah Johnson lived with his mother in Mesquite, an eastern suburb of Dallas, and had been a member of the US Army Reserve, US media reported.
Investigators later sealed off and searched his home, carrying away several bags of material.
House of Micah Johnson, suspect in shooting incident in which five police officers were killed, in Mesquite, Texas, July 8, 2016Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image captionThe house of Micah Johnson was searched by police on Friday
Gunfire broke out at around 20:45 local time on Thursday (01:45 GMT Friday) as demonstrators marched through the city. Police described the ambush as carefully planned and executed.
Officers later surrounded a car park where the stand-off with the suspect took place.
Two civilians were also injured in the shootings. One underwent surgery for a gunshot wound in the leg.
President Barack Obama, who is attending a Nato summit in Poland before a visit to Spain, called it a "vicious, calculated and despicable attack on law enforcement".
He later ordered all flags on public buildings to be flown at half-mast.
Media captionAmateur video shows a man with a rifle, hiding behind a concrete pillar and shooting
Map
Mr Obama will visit Dallas early next week, cutting short the Spanish part of his European trip, the White House said.
It said Mr Obama "will continue the work to bring people together to support our police officers and communities, and find common ground by discussing policy ideas for addressing the persistent racial disparities in our criminal justice system".
Media captionDallas eyewitness: "I didn't see anybody else get shot, just the cops"
The Dallas attack marks the deadliest day for US law enforcement officers since the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
The protest march that wound its way through the city was among several held across the US over the police use of lethal force against African Americans.
Graphic
Philando Castile was shot dead after being stopped in his car by police in St Paul, Minnesota , on Wednesday.
Alton Sterling was killed by police a day earlier in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Both incidents were captured on video, reigniting what has become a national debate.

Shock in Minnesota: Barbara Plett Usher, BBC News, St Paul

The disturbing video of Philando Castile's dying moments galvanised Pastor Thomas Mite to speak out more publicly against police killings.
But, he said, the Dallas attacks have been a setback to the activists' push for change and justice. The mood in St Paul was sober as residents absorbed this shock turn of events and what it might mean.
"Dallas is 'bigger than Philando," Mr Castile's girlfriend said to media at the protest site outside the governor's mansion, adding: "This is bigger than all of us."
"I hope there is justice for the people who did the killing in Dallas and for the person who did the killing here," said one of the protesters. Then he returned to abiding fears.
"I hope no cop gets angry here and tries to take revenge."
"The police will protect themselves,' Pastor Mite mused. "They have a right to go home safely at night, but they'll come out with riot gear and shields. This is bad."

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