Officials say a gunman shot and killed five police officers Thursday at a Dallas protest against police shootings of black men, in a bout of violence that didn't end until the suspected gunman was killed by police using explosives delivered by a robot. Seven other officers and two civilians were also injured.
The suspect, who died in a parking garage, was Micah Xavier Johnson, authorities say. Johnson was a U.S. military veteran who had served in Afghanistan, and told negotiators he was upset about police shootings and wanted to kill white police officers.
Law enforcement officers have provided NPR with what they believe is a manifesto from Johnson, which says it should be released after Johnson's death. In the short purported manifesto, the writer points to police shootings of black Americans as his motivation and criticizes the Black Lives Matter movement.
Police, who took three suspects into custody, initially said at least four people were involved in the attack. Officials now describe Johnson as the "lone suspect," though they have not ruled out the possibility of co-conspirators.
Law enforcement officials with knowledge of the investigation tell NPR's Dina Temple-Raston that evidence suggests Johnson acted alone — and that he had been planning the attack for some time.
At a press conference Friday, Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said "the city is safe," and healing can begin.
The attack began just before 9 p.m. local time, at the end of a downtown protest march condemning two police killings of black men in other cities earlier this week.
Early in the investigation, police said they believed multiple shooters, whom police described as snipers, took elevated positions in a parking garage so they could "triangulate" their attacks and inflict harm on as many officers as they could. Officials now suspect there was only one shooter, targeting what had been a peaceful event.
"There are no words to describe the atrocity that occurred to our city," Dallas Police Chief David Brown said Friday morning. "All I know is that this must stop, this divisiveness between our police and our citizens."
The attack has been condemned by leaders and supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement, who also call for continued peaceful protests over police shootings, The Associated Press reports.
Here's what we know about the situation. We'll be updating this post as more news comes in:
Suspects
Police took three suspects, including one woman, into custody in the aftermath of the attack. But authorities tell NPR the suspected gunman, who appears to have been working alone, was killed after an hours-long standoff with police at a parking garage at El Centro College in downtown Dallas.
The suspect who was killed is Micah Xavier Johnson, two federal law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation tell NPR.
The Pentagon confirms that Johnson served in the Army Reserve and was deployed to Afghanistan. He had the rank of Private First Class and was a carpentry and masonry specialist. You can read more at our separate page on what's known about Johnson.
Police Chief David Brown said Johnson told negotiators "the end was coming," that he's "going to hurt and kill more" law enforcement, and that there were bombs planted all over the garage and downtown.
Just before dawn Friday, police said their sweeps for explosives had turned up no such devices.
During negotiations with police, the man later identified as Johnson spoke about his motivations, Police Chief David Brown said at a Friday morning news conference.
"He was upset about Black Lives Matter," Brown said, adding that the man cited the recent killings of black people and said that he wanted to kill white people — particularly white police officers.
A search of Johnson's home uncovered "bomb-making materials, ballistic vests, rifles, ammunition and a personal journal of combat tactics," police said Friday.
Three other suspects were initially taken into custody, three men at a traffic stop and a woman by the parking garage.
Another man whose picture had been circulated as a possible "person of interest" in the case turned himself in and was later released; Dallas police had posted a picture of the man in a camouflage T-shirt, carrying a long gun.
Timeline
Hundreds had gathered for the Black Lives Matter rally and march, which was coming to a close just before 9 p.m. CT when gunfire cut through the air.
"They were targeting the police," NPR's Wade Goodwyn reports for Morning Edition. "They let the protesters pass by and started shooting the police."
Part of the gun battle that ensued was captured on a Facebook live stream. We'll warn you that it includes images and language some may find disturbing.
