The latest on the shooting of police officers in Dallas

July 8, 2016 6:18 am

By: The Associated Press

news@abc6.com

A robotics expert says Dallas police appear to be the first law enforcement agency to use a robot to kill.

Peter W. Singer, of the New America Foundation, says the killing of a suspect in Thursday night’s fatal shooting of five police officers is the first instance of which he’s aware of a robot being used lethally by police.

Dallas Police Chief David Brown told reporters that after hours of failed negotiations and in order to not put any officers in harm’s way, his department used a robot to deliver a bomb that killed the suspect. Brown said they saw no other option.

Singer said in an email Friday that when he was researching his 2009 book "Wired for War’" a U.S. soldier told him troops in Iraq sometimes used MARCbot surveillance robots against insurgents.

A Texas law enforcement official has told The Associated Press that a slain suspect in the attack on Dallas police was 25-year-old Micah Johnson.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he said he was not authorized to release the information. There were no immediate details on the suspect’s middle name or hometown.

The attack began Thursday night during a protest about the recent killings by police of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota. Five officers were killed and seven others were wounded. Two civilians were also wounded.

Police Chief David Brown said Friday that his department used a robot-delivered bomb to kill a suspect after hours of negotiations failed. He says the suspect expressed anger over recent killings by police of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota.

House Speaker Paul Ryan says anger over the police shootings in Dallas must not be allowed to harden the nation’s divisions.

Speaking Friday on the House Floor, Ryan said that "justice will be done." He says it’s been a "long month for America” and that the nation has seen terrible and senseless things.

But he says that in debating how to respond, "let’s not lose sight of the values that unite us, our common humanity."

Ryan says: "A few perpetrators of evil do not represent us; they do not control us."

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi took the floor after Ryan, joining in his expression of grief and thanking Dallas police officers for their service.

Pelosi says: "Justice will be done, justice must be done. Also mercy must be done."

As the city of Dallas mourns the killings of five police officers, Mayor Mike Rawlings said one of four suspects in last night’s attack is dead.

Three other suspects are in custody. Rawlings said the suspect involved in an overnight standoff with police died after officers used explosives to "blast him out."

In addition to the five officers who died, six others were wounded during a protest against police killings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota.

Earlier today, President Barack Obama said America is "horrified" over the shootings of police officers in Dallas and there’s no possible justification for the attacks.

Obama is spoke from Warsaw, Poland, where he’s meeting with leaders of the European Union and attending a NATO summit.

Obama said justice will be done and he’s asking all Americans to pray for the fallen officers and their families. He also says the nation should express its gratitude to those serving in law enforcement.

Snipers opened fire on police officers in the heart of Dallas Thursday evening, killing five officers and injuring six others during protests over two recent fatal police shootings of black men.

Obama said earlier there was no contradiction between supporting law enforcement and making certain biases in the justice system are rooted out.