CNN: Dallas sniper attack

Investigators have identified the dead suspect: 25-year-old Micah Xavier Johnson of Mesquite, Texas, but they’re still trying to answer key questions. Chief among them: Was anyone else involved in the shootings which began Thursday night during a protest against police violence and left parts of downtown Dallas under siege for hours? And are any other suspects on the loose?

“Law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation told CNN that Johnson was the dead gunman. He had no criminal record or known terror ties, a law enforcement official said.  He had served in the U.S. Army Reserve, training as a carpentry and masonry specialist, two U.S. defense officials said.   Wayne Bynoe, a neighbor, said police cars were outside Johnson’s home Friday. Johnson lived with his mother and “keeps to himself,” Bynoe said.

 The Dallas police chief told reporters it’s too soon to speculate on the suspect’s motives, and it’s unclear whether more suspects are on the loose.  “We’re hurting. Our profession is hurting. There are no words to describe the atrocity that happened in our city,” he said. “All I know is that this must stop — this divisiveness between our police and our citizens.” 

The attack

The victims

Police have said at least 10 officers were shot by a sniper, and that one officer was shot in a shootout at the parking garage. It’s not clear where the 12th officer was shot. 

The suspects

Brown said an investigation into the ambush continues. “Through our investigation of some of the suspects, it’s revealed to us that this was a well-planned, well-thought out, evil tragedy by these suspects,” he said Friday at a prayer vigil for the victims. “And we won’t rest until we bring everyone involved to justice.”  He would not say how authorities believe others in custody are connected to the shooting.

Previously, authorities had said three people were in custody, and that multiple shooters were involved in the attack.  “I’m not going to be satisfied until we’ve turned over every stone. We’ve got some level that this one suspect did do some of the shooting. But we’re not satisfied that we’ve exhausted every lead,” he said. “So if there’s someone out there who’s associated with this, we will find you, we will prosecute you, and we will bring you to justice.“

Asked about the gunman’s motive, Brown declined to speculate.  “We can’t get into the head of a person that would do something like this. We negotiated with this person that seemed lucid during the negotiation. He wanted to kill officers, and he expressed killing white people, he expressed killing white officers, he expressed anger for Black Lives Matter.  None of that makes sense,” Brown said. “None of that is a reason, a legitimate reason, to do harm to anyone. So the rest of it would just be speculating on what his motivations were. We just know what he said.“

The protests

The shootings occurred as many Americans nationwide took to the streets to demand answers over the killings of two black men in two days. They wept, marched and chanted, “Black Lives Matter!“