DALLAS (CN) - A sniper killed five Dallas police officers and wounded seven more at the end of a peaceful protest against police brutality Thursday night in what Mayor Mike Rawlings calls the city's "worst nightmare."
Dallas Police Chief David Brown confirmed Friday morning that the suspect is dead: he was killed by a bomb robot. He denied that the suspect committed suicide.
"We tried to negotiate for several hours and it failed," Brown said. "Our bomb robot detonated a bomb where the suspect was. ... Other options would have subjected officers to great danger."
Brown added: "He was upset about the recent police shootings, he said he was upset at white people. He said he wanted to kill white people, especially white police officers. He stated he was not affiliated with any groups, and he stated he did this alone."
Police identified the dead suspect as Micah Xavier Johnson, 25, of Mesquite, on Friday morning. Mesquite police quickly executed a search warrant at the home of Johnson's mother. U.S. Department of Defense officials confirmed Johnson previously served in the Army Reserve.
Three suspects were taken into custody within hours of the shooting, but investigators now believe that Johnson acted alone.
"A suspicious package was discovered near this suspect's location," Dallas police tweeted. "The package is being secured by DPD bomb squad."
Police arrested two people during a traffic stop of a Mercedes at Interstate 35E and Kiest Boulevard after the shootings.
"A DPD officer observed an individual carrying a camouflaged bag, walked quickly down Lamar Street," police tweeted. "The individual threw the bag in the back of a black Mercedes and the Mercedes sped off at a high rate of speed."
Teams of police in tactical gear could be seen from the street clearing and securing every room inside the community college complex, as well as each floor of the parking garage.
Approximately 800 people were marching east on Commerce Street near the central business district at the end of the protest at 9 p.m. when at least 20 gunshots from high-caliber weapons were heard. Eyewitnesses said the shots targeted police at the perimeter of the protesters.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit identified one of the victims as Officer Brent Thompson, 43, the first officer killed in the agency's history. Dallas police had yet to announce the identities of its four slain officers early Friday morning.
The protest in Dallas was one of many throughout the nation in the wake of two high-profile killings of black men by police in recent days. A video of an unarmed Alton Sterling being shot to death by Baton Rouge police went viral on Tuesday.
One day later, a video of Philando Castile after being shot and killed by police during a traffic stop in suburban Minneapolis went viral.
Fighting back tears, Mayor Rawlings asked citizens to focus on the police, their families, the deceased and those in the hospital.
"We have one of the best police forces in the nation," he said. "We have done the right things regarding civil rights ... Please, let's come together as a city."
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