A gunman who served in the U.S. Army Reserve and said he was “upset at white people” was part of an attack in which five Dallas police officers were killed and another seven were wounded, authorities said on Friday.

The attack ended hours later when police used a robot carrying a bomb to kill the shooter, the Dallas police chief said.

The Thursday night killings, at the end of a protest over this week’s pair of fatal shootings of black men by police in Louisiana and Minnesota, fueled a national debate over excessive police force. The overnight attack raised fears that others would seek to retaliate against police.

He said he was upset about the recent police shootings,” Chief Brown said. “The suspect said he was upset at white people. The suspect stated he wanted to kill white people, especially white officers.”

Authorities said that the gunman fired at least some of the shots in the attack but have not ruled out that other shooters were involved.

A U.S. government source told Reuters the shooter was identified as Micah X. Johnson, a member of the U.S. Army Reserve.

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

This I believe is a setback for the just and non violent  #Blacklivesmatter movement. With so many “weapons of mass destructions’  lying around in the hands of both the Police and the public, and the impunity with which some Police officers were using it, this horrific condemnable incident was bound to happen. A racial crime in revenge of another racial crime will only make the problem worse.

The authorities have to do much more to make the African-Americans less helpless and more secure so that USA can become a much more civilised society.