Gunman Identified in Dallas Shooting

Outlets name Micah Xavier Johnson, 25
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 8, 2016 10:51 AM CDT
Gunman Identified in Dallas Shooting
A Dallas police officer, who did not want to be identified, takes a moment as she guards an intersection in the early morning.   (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Major media outlets are identifying the slain gunman in the Dallas attack as 25-year-old Micah Xavier Johnson of Mesquite, Texas, near Dallas. He told authorities in negotiations that he was an Army veteran, unaffiliated with any group, and out to kill officers and white people after the recent spate of police shootings. Since then, the Army has confirmed that Johnson served a tour of duty in Afghanistan as a soldier, reports the AP. The stories identifying him quote anonymous law enforcement authorities, and outlets including KXAS-TV, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and ABC have the same name. (A post at Heavy.com has photos of a man believed to be Johnson.) CNN, meanwhile, reports that he's not believed to have a criminal record or ties to terror groups.

Police were surrounding his home Friday morning, and a neighbor tells CNN that Johnson lived with his mother and mostly kept to himself. What remains unclear is whether only one gunman did the shooting that left five officers dead. While Johnson was killed by a police robotic device, three other suspects remain in custody but are reportedly not cooperating with the investigation. Dallas police initially identified another man as a suspect and tweeted his photo, only to learn he was innocent. He was questioned and released. (More Dallas police shooting stories.)

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