Dallas shooting: Gunman 'wanted to kill whites' says police chief

Micah Johnson was a member of the US Army reserve, reports said

The gunman killed in a stand-off with Dallas police said he wanted to kill white people, especially officers, the city's police chief has said.

The suspect, named by US media as Micah Johnson, 25, said he was upset about the recent police shootings of black people, Police Chief David Brown said. Five police officers were killed and seven wounded during a march against the shooting of black men by police.

Facebook images show Micah Johnson giving a black power salute and dressed in military uniform

Three people are in custody but it is not clear if there were other gunmen. The protest in Dallas took place after this week's deaths of Philando Castile in Minnesota and Alton Sterling in Louisiana.


Mr Brown said the suspect had been killed when police used explosives placed by a robot to end a tense stand-off in a building where he was holed up. Before that, he had spoken to a negotiator.

"He said he was upset about Black Lives Matter [protest movement]; he said he was upset about the recent police shootings," Mr Brown told a news conference.

"The suspect said he was upset at white people. The suspect stated that he wanted to kill white people, especially white officers."

Mr Brown added that the man had said he was not affiliated with any groups and he acted alone.
However, speaking earlier on Friday, Mr Brown had said two snipers had fired from "elevated positions", shooting some officers in the back.

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