The gunman who attacked Dallas police headquarters in an armored van early Saturday provided authorities with a name and a motive for the assault, but officials said definitive identification will wait until a medical examination is completed. 
 
 Concerns about explosive ordnance after pipe bombs were found near the headquarters building south of downtown prevented police from recovering the man's body hours after a police sniper targeted him through the windshield of the van. 
 
 Officers used a robot to safely approach the vehicle to confirm the gunman was dead, and they alerted the public that some planned detonations might be heard as they tried to gain entry. 
 
 Two loud blasts came from the vehicle about noon as authorities tried to neutralize explosives believed to be inside. 
 
 Police spokesman Maj. Max Geron later said at least two pipe bombs were found in the vehicle, which had ports in its walls to fire guns from. 
 
 As you can see the armored van used in the attack is burning #DPDattack pic.twitter.com/VIby2p5kCq — Dallas Police Assoc (@DPA_PoliceAssoc) June 13, 2015 
 
 Police had spent hours trying to negotiate with the man in the armored van he used during his assault on police headquarters before he led dozens of squad cars on a chase that ended along Interstate 45 in Hutchins. 
 
 No one was injured by the man, who identified himself as James Boulware, a 35-year-old with a history of family violence. 
 
 Dallas police Chief David Brown said the gunman said he was going to blow up police because they “took his child and accused him of being a terrorist.” 
 
 'I tried to tell him that the police are just doing their job' 
 
 Boulware's mother, Jeannine, declined to comment Saturday morning when she was reached at her Dallas home by phone. 
 
 "I don't want to talk to the media. I want to talk to my son. I want my grandson to talk to his father. Do not call this number again," she said. 
 
 The suspect's father, Jim Boulware of Carrollton, said his son had blamed police for losing custody of his child, who is in middle school. 
 
 But despite previous threats of violence, he said he never expected anything like Saturday's events. 
 
 "He blames the police for taking his son away from him," Jim Boulware said. "I tried to tell him that the police are just doing their job." 
 
 The elder Boulware said he saw his son Friday night and that there was no indication that trouble was coming. 
 
 Jim Boulware did say that he had noticed a strange van but that his son's plans had been to buy a vehicle he could live in and use to travel to a friend's home in West Texas. ||||| An Army veteran “upset about Black Lives Matter” and “recent police shootings” who opened fire Thursday night in Dallas in an attack on police officers has been identified by police as Micah Xavier Johnson. 
 
 Five police officers were killed and seven were wounded, officials said. Two civilians were also wounded in the shootings, police said. 
 
 Johnson, 25, was killed when a police robot detonated a bomb near him following a standoff that lasted several hours, Police Chief David Brown said Friday at a press conference. 
 
 “The suspect said he was upset with white people and wanted to kill white people, especially white officers,” Brown said. 
 
 Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said Johnson was the lone gunman, though police initially said two snipers positioned themselves in triangulated locations to fire on officers from elevated positions. Rawlings said confusion during the incident led to the belief there were multiple shooters. 
 
 “We believe now that the city is safe, and we can move on to healing,” Rawlings said Friday evening. 
 
 Homeland Security Director Jeh Johnson said there are no apparent ties to international terrorism. 
 
 The gunfire began just before 9 p.m. Thursday while a peaceful rally was held by Black Lives Matter in response to recent controversial police killings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota. 
 
 The gunman was then cornered in El Centro College in downtown Dallas. 
 
 Police said at least 12 officers fired their weapons during the incident. 
 
 This post will be updated as more information is released. Here’s what we know so far about Johnson and the shootings: 
 
 Warning: Some of the videos below may contain graphic content. 
 
 1. The Former Soldier Told Police He Was Not Affiliated With Any Groups & He ‘Did This Alone’ 
 
 After the shootings in downtown Dallas, the gunman, identified as Micah Xavier Johnson, 25, holed himself up inside El Centro College in the downtown area of the city, Dallas Police Chief David Brown said at a press conference. 
 
 Johnson was armed with a SKS semi-automatic assault rifle and a handgun, CBS News reports. He was wearing body armor. 
 
 He told police he was “not affiliated with any groups,” and he said he “did this alone,” the chief said. 
 
 Sources told the Los Angeles Times that Johnson has no ties to terror groups and no known criminal history. He has lived in the Dallas area and has family members living in Mesquite, Texas, east of Dallas, the newspaper reports, citing federal law enforcement sources. 
 
 A black SUV was found at the scene registered to Delphene Johnson, who is Micah Johnson’s mother, according to Facebook posts and public records, NBC Dallas-Fort Worth reports. Live helicopter video from the news station showed police at her home in Mesquite. 
 
 Johnson served in the U.S. Army Reserve, investigators said. 
 
 Johnson told police negotiators the “end is coming” and said he wanted to “kill more” officers, according to Brown. 
 
 Police said after several hours of negotiating, with intermittent exchanges of gunfire, the suspect was killed by a robot who detonated a C-4 explosive. 
 
 “We tried to negotiate for several hours, negotiations broke down, we had an exchange of gunfire with the suspect,” Brown said. “We saw no other option but to use our bomb-robot and place a device on its extension for it to detonate where the suspect was. Other options would have exposed our officers to grave danger. The suspect is dead a result of detonating the bomb.” 
 
 Mayor Mike Rawlings said, “He had a choice to come out and we would not harm him, or stay in and we would. He picked the latter.” 
 
 The suspect did not shoot himself, despite reports, Brown said. 
 
 “He wanted to kill officers, and he expressed killing white people, he expressed killing white officers,” Brown said. “He expressed anger for Black Lives Matter. None of that makes sense, none of that is a legitimate reason to do harm to anyone, so the rest of it would just be speculating on what his motivations were. We just know what he said to our negotiators.” 
 
 While he was barricaded in the hotel, the suspect told police there were bombs planted “all over” downtown Dallas, the city’s police chief said at a press conference. 
 
 Police have not said if any bombs or suspicious items have been found. 
 
 “He said we will eventually find the IEDs,” Brown said. 
 
 The shooting came a year and a month after a man angry at police opened fire on the Dallas Police headquarters. He fired several shots at the building, but no one was injured. The man, James Boulware, was driving an armored van and was later chased down by police. He was killed during a standoff. 
 
 Boulware also claimed he had planted bombs in downtown Dallas. 
 
 Read more about Micah X. Johnson in Spanish at AhoraMismo.com: 
 
 2. He Had Connections to ‘Black Separatist Hate Groups’ on Facebook 
 
 Micah Johnson’s now-deleted Facebook page provides few details about his life. In May, he posted a “Black Power” poster, one of the few images on his page: 
 
 His cover photo is the Pan-African flag. 
 
 He liked pages connected to Elijah Mohammed, the founder of the Nation of Islam, and also like The New Black Panther Party and the Black Riders Liberation Party. 
 
 The Southern Poverty Law Center calls the three organizations “black separatist hate groups,” according to its Hatewatch blog: 
 
 NBPP was formed in Dallas, and its leaders have long expressed virulently anti-white and anti-Semitic opinions. Its leaders have blamed Jews for the 9/11 terrorist attacks and for the slave trade. The late former party chairman Khalid Abdul Muhammad once said, ‘There are no good crackers, and if you find one, kill him before he changes.’ A document on the NBPP website titled “The Nationalist Manifesto” claims that white men have a secret plan to commit genocide against the non-white races. It also refers to black people who condone mixed-race relationships as the ‘modern day Custodians [sic] of Uncle Tom’s Cabin.’ 
 
 The Daily Beast said the African American Defense League, another group liked by Johnson, posted on Facebook after the shootings, “ATTACK EVERYTHING IN BLUE EXCEPT THE MAIL MAN, UNLESS HE IS CARRYING MORE THAN MAIL.” 
 
 On Saturday, Johnson posted a video of people slaughtering dolphins to a Black Panther Facebook page, writing, “Look at the joy on their faces. Why do so many whites (not all) enjoy killing and participating in the death of innocent beings?,” according to CBS News. 
 
 The SPLC called the shootings an act of domestic terrorism in a statement from its president, Richard Cohen: 
 
 We condemn the racially motivated killings of law enforcement officers in Dallas and mourn the loss of life. This was an act of domestic terrorism,Racial tensions are extremely high in this country – not just in the wake of the most recent highly visible killings of black men by law enforcement but in the overheated rhetoric of our politics and hate deliberately stoked from all corners. Our communities need healing. Until a gunman motivated by hate fired a shot, the protest was a peaceful one in a city that serves as a model for law enforcement reform. We must not allow this act of violence to lead to more violence and more hate. 
 
 Johnson posted a photo with Professor Griff, a rapper and member of the group Public Enemy, taken at what appears to be an autograph signing, in April. His only other photo is a Doctor Who wallpaper. His birthday was July 2. 
 
 The Dallas Police highlighted Johnson’s association with Professor Griff in a press release Friday afternoon. 
 
 “The suspect’s Facebook account included the following names and information: Fahed Hassen, Richard GRIFFIN aka Professor Griff, GRIFFIN embraces a radical form of Afrocentrism, and GRIFFIN wrote a book A Warriors Tapestry,” police said. No other context was provided in the press release. 
 
 Griff has responded on Twitter, saying, “The police and FBI have been watching me and tapping my phone they know who I talk too, I DO NOT KNOW THE SHOOTER. … I do not advocate killing Cops.” 
 
 Johnson’s sister posted on Facebook on Friday after his name was made public, “I keep saying its not true…my eyes hurt from crying. Y him??? And why was he downtown smh. 
 
 “Please out of respect for my family. If you following the news and know whats going on, I’m not talking to anyone and please keep your comments thoughts respectful,” she wrote. “The news will say what they think but those that knew him know this wasn’t like him. Only close family can call me. This is the biggest loss we’ve had.” 
 
 3. Police Say Johnson Was a ‘Loner’ Who Had ‘Bomb Making Materials, Ballistic Vests, Rifles’ & Ammo in His Home 
 
 Police said Johnson has been described as a “loner.” 
 
 “This was a well-planned, well-thought-out, evil tragedy,” Dallas Police Chief David Brown said. 
 
 “During the search of the suspect’s home, detectives found bomb making materials, ballistic vests, rifles, ammunition, and a personal journal of combat tactics,” police said in a press release. “Detectives are in the processing of analyzing the information contained in the journal.” 
 
 Mayor Mike Rawlings said the gunman was a “mobile shooter” and had written manifestos on how to “shoot and move, shoot and move, and he did that,” causing confusion during the shooting. But police say he acted alone. 
 
 Authorities said they will still be investigating to see if anyone knew about the gunman’s plans or had any other role in the incident. Federal, state and city police agencies are also determining what the shooter did leading up to the shooting, and are looking into his background. 
 
 Brown earlier said they want to ensure “that everyone associated with this tragedy is brought to justice. … We won’t expand on any further on what other suspects we have interviewed or looked at or their status until we get further into this investigation and get closer to a conclusion of who are all involved.” 
 
 Brown said, “I’m not going to be satisfied until we turn over every stone. … We’re not satisfied that we’ve exhausted every lead. And we’re not going to be satisfied until every lead is exhausted. So if there is someone out there that was associated with this, we will find you and we will prosecute you and we will bring you to justice.” 
 
 Police said two people were spotted getting into a Mercedes in downtown Dallas carrying camouflage duffle bags, the police chief said. The car was found by police and stopped on the highway. The people in the car were taken into custody. The chief said a woman was also arrested near El Centro College. 
 
 They were not cooperating with investigators, officials said. 
 
 But sources told CBS News the three people detained were not connected to the shooting. 
 
 One man who was marching during the protest, Mark Hughes, was incorrectly identified by police as a “person of interest” in the shooting, and his photo was distributed on Twitter by the department. Hughes was open carrying a rifle, which is legal in Texas, to exercise his Second Amendment rights, but he turned over the gun to a police officer after the shooting began so he would not be mistaken as a suspect. That moment was caught on video: 
 
 Facebook video of DPD's original person of interest, handing over his weapon to authorities Via facebook live videohttps://t.co/hDmeV6T4sz — Mike Leslie (@MikeLeslieWFAA) July 8, 2016 
 
 The man later turned himself in to police after his photo was distributed across social media and on national television. He was released after being questioned. 
 
 Police said a 25-year-old man was arrested at the scene on unrelated weapons charges. It is not clear if he was one of the three people described as being possible suspects. 
 
 4. Johnson Was in the Army Reserves & Served in Afghanistan 
 
 A Department of Defense official told The Daily Beast that Micah Johnson was a private first class in the Army Reserves. He was part of the 284th Engineering Company, which is based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. 
 
 The official said Johnson served in Afghanistan. 
 
 He was a carpenter and masonry specialist, CNN reports. It is not known if he had advanced firearms training, DOD officials told CNN. 
 
 Johnson served from March 2009 to April 2015. He was deployed to Afghanistan from November 2013 to July 2014. 
 
 5. Police Took Part in the Planning of the Peaceful Rally & March, the Chief Says 
 
 The shootings came during a peaceful rally and march in response to two controversial police shootings of black men that occurred this week. The rally began at 7 p.m. and was set to end at 9 p.m. The shooting occurred just before 9 p.m. 
 
 Alton Sterling was fatally shot by two officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Tuesday. A day later, Philando Castile was killed by police during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. Parts of both shootings were caught on videos that spread quickly across social media. Investigations into both those shootings are ongoing and no officers have been charged. 
 
 Dallas Police Chief David Brown said he and others in the police department participated in the planning of the rally. 
 
 Something people should understand nationally — BLM & Dallas PD have respect for each other. DPD was protecting marchers. Snipers did this. — Mike Leslie (@MikeLeslieWFAA) July 8, 2016 
 
 Officers were posing for pictures with marchers and the mood was peaceful and light, officials said. 
 
 Demonstration in #Dallas @ Belo Garden Park pic.twitter.com/IUx5IaERSB — Dallas Police Depart (@DallasPD) July 8, 2016 
 
 #Dallas police officers maintain traffic control to ensure the safety of the demonstrators. pic.twitter.com/wocOuXqj0g — Dallas Police Depart (@DallasPD) July 8, 2016 
 
 Police have released no evidence that the planners of the protest were involved in the shooting. 
 
 “Police officers are guardians of this great democracy, the freedom to protest, the freedom of speech, the freedom of expression, all freedoms we fight for with our lives, it’s what makes us who we are as Americans,” Brown said. “So we risk our lives for those rights, so we won’t militarize our policing standards, but we will do it in a much safer way every time.” 
 
 Brown said they had an “adequate” amount of officers and were doing the right thing to shut down traffic and protect people’s right to protest. 
 
 “We are not going to let a coward who would ambush police officers change our democracy. We’re not going to do it. Our city, our country is better than that,” Brown said. 
 
 Four of the officers killed are from the Dallas Police Department. The fifth victim, Officer Brent Thompson, worked for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) authority’s police department. 
 
 A second victim was identified by family members as Dallas Officer Patrick Zamarripa. 
 
 The other officers have not yet been identified publicly and Brown said they are working to notify families of the victims. 
 
 One wounded officer has been identified as DART Officer Misty McBride. She is expected to survive. 
 
 “Some of the bravest men and women you ever want to be associated with,” Brown said about the Dallas and DART police officers who responded to the shooting. “You see video footage after video footage of them running toward gunfire from an elevated position with no chance to protect themselves. And to put themselves in harms way to make sure citizens can get to a place of security. 
 
 “So please join me in applauding these brave men and women who do this job under great scrutiny, under great vulnerability. Who literally risk their lives to protect our democracy. We don’t feel much support most days, let’s not make today most days. Please, we need your support to be able to protect you from men like these who carried out this tragic, tragic event. Pray for these families,” Brown said. ||||| Here's the latest infromation about the shooting deaths of five police officers and the wounding of seven in downtown Dallas Thursday night. 
 
 The shooter, Micah Xavier Johnson 
 
 The lone gunman -- a black U.S. Army veteran with a smoldering hatred of white people -- is dead and police continued Saturday to comb through his background and possessions in an ongoing investigation. 
 
 A general understanding of the motivations of a man President Barack Obama described as "demented" slowly came into focus on Friday. 
 
 Johnson, 25, was described by friends and acquaintances as a nice guy who also had developed an obsession with heavy-duty weaponry and black-power politics. He was a man with grievances, including a discharge from the military after accusations of sexual harassment and a minor run-in with police. 
 
 Officials said a search of his home turned up "bomb-making materials, ballistic vests, rifles, ammunition and a personal journal of combat tactics." 
 
 Johnson's attack brought up worries about copycat killings. And Saturday evening, many feared that possibility. 
 
 Dallas Police headquarters went on high alert after police spotted a suspicious person in the parking garage nearby. SWAT units were already there in response to a threat from an armed group in Houston. 
 
 Initial reports of shots fired were inaccurate, and the suspicious person apparently escaped. But for about an hour, national news focused again on threats to Dallas police. 
 
 The police investigation 
 
 Mayor Mike Rawlings said Friday that Johnson -- killed by a law enforcement robot carrying a bomb -- was believed to be the lone gunman. But police are still looking into Johnson's background and whether anyone else knew about his plans. 
 
 A section of downtown Dallas was still closed to the public Saturday and could be off-limits for days to come. 
 
 The area where the shooting occurred was flanked mostly by media, with some onlookers also taking an interest in the large crime scene. Dozens of yellow, numbered evidence markers were on the ground, and FBI agents were carefully walking over every inch of the scene Saturday morning. 
 
 
 
 Mourning the dead 
 
 
 
 For police officers, the shooting heaped fatigue on top of mourning. By Saturday, a degree of calm had returned, and there was more time to focus on sorrow. 
 
 
 
 Corsicana law enforcement officials announced a police escort home this afternoon for Brent Thompson, a 43-year-old DART officer killed in the shootings. Police are asking the public to line up along the route to pay their respects. 
 
 
 
 The Dallas Police Association opened its office for officers to gather and grieve the dead and what was the worst day for U.S. law enforcement since 9/11. The Dallas officers killed were Senior Cpl. Lorne Ahrens, 48; Officer Michael Krol, 40; Sgt. Michael J. Smith, 55; and Officer Patrick Zamarripa. 
 
 Counselors at El Centro College were offering assistance to students and faculty who were locked down at the downtown campus for about five hours Thursday night and Friday morning. 
 
 
 
 A makeshift memorial still sat at the flagpoles outside Bank of America Plaza, where flags still fly at half staff. The flowers, though, have wilted after two days in the summer heat. 
 
 
 
 There were also several community events, both small and large, scheduled this weekend to honor the victims. 
 
 Politics 
 
 
 
 The wounds are fresh and the funerals have yet to happen. But political leaders and activists are still weighing in on the deadly event following Thursday's peaceful protest of police shootings in Minnesota and Louisiana. 
 
 Obama, who is planning a trip to Dallas next week, addressed the shootings Saturday, praising the Dallas Police Department and criticized Texas' open-carry law for making the police work harder. 
 
 "If you care about the safety of police officers, then you can't set aside the gun issue and pretend that's irrelevant," the president said to an audience in Warsaw, Poland. 
 
 
 
 On Friday, a pair of prominent Texas leaders struck different tones with their statements and comments. 
 
 Gov. Greg Abbott called for peace and unity. 
 
 
 
 "It is time for us to unite as Texans, as Americans, to say no more," he wrote in an open letter. "No more will we tolerate disrespect for those who serve. No more will we allow the evil of hate merchants to tear us apart." 
 
 
 
 On Fox News, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said: "All those protesters last night, they turned around and ran the other way, expecting the men and women in blue to protect them. What hypocrites!" 
 
 He later said he "maybe" chose the wrong words. 
 
 Here's a roundup of other comments from politicians, including presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. 
 
 Policing and Race Relations 
 
 As many as 100 local clergy members plan to meet Thursday night at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Dallas to discuss a practical path to healing after the shooting. The group includes a coalition of predominantly black and predominantly white churches. 
 
 While there is a racial divide here, policing controversies that plagued other cities -- from Baltimore to Ferguson, Mo. -- have mostly missed Dallas. Community leaders have credited Dallas Police Chief David Brown, who is black, and his predecessor with their outreach efforts. 
 
 "This is ground zero for the country getting this right," said Dallas Democratic state Sen. Royce West. 
 
 Click here for more stories, images and video 
 
 Friday's story: 
 
 
 
 The investigation into the ambush-style slayings of five Dallas police officers coalesced around one man: Micah Xavier Johnson, 25, an Army veteran and gun owner with a smoldering hatred of white people. 
 
 
 
 Armed with a semiautomatic assault rifle, knowledge of military tactics and wearing body armor, Johnson exchanged gunfire with Dallas police for hours Thursday night but eventually was trapped in a downtown parking garage where police killed him early Friday using a robot-deployed bomb. 
 
 Mayor Mike Rawlings said Friday that Johnson was believed to be the lone gunman. Early reports suggested there were multiple gunmen involved in the attack that killed five police officers and wounded seven other officers and two civilians. 
 
 On Saturday morning, friends and family of the victims continued the mourning process while law enforcement's investigated methodically marched along. 
 
 The sniper assault followed a large demonstration against recent killings of black men by police in Louisiana and Minnesota. Johnson suggested the attack was racially motivated by revenge. 
 
 
 
 On Saturday morning, President Barack Obama praised the Dallas Police Department for its community policing efforts. Protesters and police coexisted peacefully Thursday night during the march the preceded the shootings. Some protesters even tweeted pictures of them posing with smiling officers. 
 
 "As painful as this week has been, I firmly believe that America is not as divided as some have suggested. Americans of all races and all backgrounds are rightly outraged about the inexcusable attacks on police," he said, calling the shooter "demented." 
 
 
 
 In video footage of the rampage, the gunman can be seen lumbering toward an officer hiding behind a cement pillar outside El Centro College in downtown Dallas. In the next instant, a series of muzzle flashes punctuate the footage, as the officer slumped to the pavement. 
 
 
 
 At other times Johnson, perched inside the community college, exchanged gunfire with police. At least 12 officers shot back during the attack, police said. 
 
 The officers were assaulted "ambush-style," Dallas Police Chief David Brown said, with some of them shot in the back. 
 
 
 
 "We have to be right 100 percent of the time in the way we police this city," he said. "Suspects like this have to be right once. They don't have to work very hard to snipe at our officers from elevated positions, to ambush them from secure positions." 
 
 The U.S. Army confirmed that Johnson was enlisted as a soldier and served a tour in Afghanistan. The Mesquite resident received several awards for his service, which ended in 2015. 
 
 
 
 Johnson had no criminal record and no links to or inspiration from any international terrorist organization, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said. 
 
 "Information provided through the course of the investigation indicates that the suspect was an Army veteran and others have identified him as a loner," police said in a prepared statement. 
 
 Dallas and Mesquite police officers cordoned off a house Friday in Mesquite whose Helen Lane address is listed on Johnson's driver's license. 
 
 Chase Young, who lives around the corner and a few houses down, woke up early Friday when police cruisers set off his front motion-sensor alarm. 
 
 "They've been going back and forth, back and forth since 1 o'clock," he said. 
 
 Detectives and crime-scene technicians on Friday removed bags from the home before leaving just before 11:30 a.m. Among their findings: bomb-making materials, ballistic vests, rifles, ammunition and a personal journal of combat tactics. 
 
 County Judge Clay Jenkins said Johnson had written in his journal about the "shoot and move" tactic employed by Navy Seals. After interviewing the officers, investigators determined that the shooter could have been firing from multiple places, making it seem initially like more than one assailant. 
 
 Caitlyn Lennon, 27, a friend and former co-worker of Johnson's, described him as a gun owner with military training who "was always very affected by the police stuff and had very strong feelings about being black." 
 
 Lennon said she worked with Johnson at a sandwich shop in Richardson from 2011 to 2013. 
 
 "I can only imagine how pissed off he would be in the past year watching all of the shootings," she said, saying she had lost touch with him in recent years. 
 
 A police source told KXAS-TV (NBC5) that Johnson was laughing and singing during the standoff inside the parking garage. He didn't appear nervous and told police he'd been working out in preparation for Thursday's assault. 
 
 Johnson's sister spent Friday mourning the loss of her brother and questioning why he had gone to the downtown demonstration. 
 
 
 
 "I keep saying it's not true. ... My eyes hurt from crying," Nicole Johnson wrote in a post on Facebook that she later deleted. 
 
 
 
 Minutes later, she posted again. 
 
 "The news will say what they think, but those that knew him know this wasn't like him," she wrote. "This is the biggest loss we've had." 
 
 Brown urged Dallas to get behind its Police Department in the days to come. 
 
 
 
 "We don't feel much support most days," he said. "Let's not make today most days." 
 
 The shooting was the deadliest day for law officers since Sept. 11, 2001, when 72 officers died, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. 
 
 Officer Patrick Zamarripa survived tours in Iraq before being killed in Dallas https://t.co/pn9VwGBA0s pic.twitter.com/l1qxqlaOG5 — Washington Post (@washingtonpost) July 8, 2016 
 
 DART identified its fallen officer as 43-year-old Brent Thompson, who joined the department in 2009. Thompson is the first officer to be killed in the line of duty since DART formed a police force in 1989, spokesman Morgan Lyons said. 
 
 
 
 "Our hearts are broken," Lyons said in a prepared statement. 
 
 Three other DART officers were wounded, but they are expected to recover, Lyons said. 
 
 "Give our officers strength to catch these suspects and bring them to justice tonight," he said. 
 
 Two civilians also were wounded. One was undergoing surgery early Friday after being shot in the right calf. 
 
 Former Assistant Chief Michael Genovesi, who retired last year, said the shooting is "easily the worst thing" he has seen since he joined the department 34 years ago. 
 
 He said the closest thing he remembers is when seven Dallas officers — including Chief Brown's former partner — were killed in a single-year period in 1988 and 1989. 
 
 State Sen. Royce West, who was at the protest but left before the shooting started, said he was still processing the night's events. 
 
 "Just when you think you've seen it all, you recognize you haven't," said West, D-Dallas. "I never thought I would live to see such carnage in the case of law enforcement, especially here in Dallas." 
 
 He said he hoped to work with Gov. Greg Abbott to see what the state could do to prevent such attacks. 
 
 But Genovesi, who oversaw patrol and coordinated security for major events, said such shootings are "almost impossible" to prevent. 
 
 "He certainly wasn't intimidated or in any way deterred by the police presence," Genovesi said of Johnson. "That's what he was seeking. That's really hard to defend against in a democracy." 
 
 Genovesi responded to last year's shooting at police headquarters. He said the latest shooting "will never be forgotten" but that the department has been resilient in the past and will eventually recover. 
 
 Officers at Parkland pay their respects to the officers killed in the line of duty: https://t.co/V1iZB0dqq8 pic.twitter.com/rJyJDBrQZ3 — NBC DFW (@NBCDFW) July 8, 2016 
 
 Gunman told negotiator he was upset by recent police shootings 
 
 At a 12:30 a.m. news conference, Brown said officers had exchanged gunfire for 45 minutes with a man in the El Centro College garage. 
 
 
 
 "He has told our negotiators that the end is coming and he's going to hurt and kill more of us — meaning law enforcement — and that there are bombs all over the place in this garage and in downtown," Brown said. 
 
 Series of flashing lights visible inside El Centro where #DallasPoliceShooting suspect may be holed up. @dallasnews pic.twitter.com/nNgvwvhrcf — G.J. McCarthy (@gjmccarthy) July 8, 2016 
 
 Though Brown said late Thursday that two snipers had gunned down the officers, he talked about only one man at Friday morning's news conference at Dallas City Hall. 
 
 
 
 "We are working very diligently on processing the crime scene to find evidence to bring any other suspects to justice," the chief said. 
 
 
 
 During the overnight standoff, the gunman told a police negotiator he acted alone and wanted to kill white people, especially police officers, Brown said. 
 
 "The suspect stated he was not affiliated with any groups," Brown said. "He stated he did this alone." 
 
 He said the man claimed to have hidden explosive devices in downtown buildings, but police had not found any bombs as of Friday morning. 
 
 
 
 However, Brown said then he didn't believe the threat was over and believed that others may still be at large. 
 
 "We're not satisfied until we've exhausted every lead," Brown said. "We're going to keep these suspects guessing." 
 
 About 1:20 a.m., an explosion went off at El Centro. Police said they had placed a robot near the shooter and detonated a bomb it was holding, killing him. 
 
 
 
 Students and faculty stuck on El Centro's main campus when it was placed on lockdown were allowed to leave at 2 a.m. Friday's classes were canceled. 
 
 Shortly before 3 a.m., police reported that the gunman in the garage was dead. 
 
 
 
 Dallas police Maj. Max Geron said officials were conducting "extensive sweeps" of downtown for explosives. About 5 a.m., he said primary and secondary sweeps turned up none. 
 
 
 
 'A heartbreaking morning' 
 
 Brown said he was proud to "be a part of this great noble profession," and to see the courage of the officers who ran toward gunfire to help the wounded. 
 
 The mayor called for unity. 
 
 "We as a city, we as a country must come together, lock arms and heal the wounds that we all feel from time to time," he said. "Words matter, leadership matters at this time. I'm proud of our chief." 
 
 Rawlings asked everyone to focus on the officers and their families. 
 
 "To say that our police officers put their lives on the line every day is no hyperbole, ladies and gentlemen," he said. "It's a reality." 
 
 After injured officers were rushed to area hospitals, five DART officers gathered in a downtown hotel, where they watched updates on an upstairs television. 
 
 They declined to comment on the night's events. After the suspect was reported to be in custody, they walked together back outside, solemn-faced, and headed south on North Lamar Street toward a police barricade on Elm Street. 
 
 Initial confusion 
 
 In earlier news conferences, Brown referred to at least two possible shooting suspects and said they may have perched in a way to triangulate on the officers. There was also initial confusion over the number of people in police custody. 
 
 When the shooting started, about 20 people in camouflage gear with rifles slung over their shoulders started running and police "started catching," Rawlings said. 
 
 Throughout the course of the night, police interviewed and questioned multiple people. During the shootout, Brown said a woman who had been in the same area as the gunman was taken into custody. 
 
 By Friday afternoon, no suspects were in custody. 
 
 "As we started to unraveled this fishing knot, we realized that the shooting came from one building at different levels by this suspect," Rawlings said. 
 
 
 
 About 11:30 p.m. Thursday, a person of interest in a photo circulated by the city and Dallas police turned himself in, police said. But that man, Mark Hughes, was released about two hours later. 
 
 
 
 Shortly before midnight, a Dallas police officer saw someone carrying a camouflaged bag, walking quickly down Lamar Street. The person threw the bag in the back of a black Mercedes-Benz that then sped off, police said. 
 
 
 
 Police stopped the vehicle, questioned the two occupants and released them, KXAS-TV (NBC5) reported. 
 
 AVXHeBlYM1sbmtJrn6mo-7-c633ddc81d6e7acfc373de3ef7464beb 
 
 Please keep my brothers/sisters in blue in your prayers tonight. ðŸ™ðŸ¼ðŸ™ðŸ¼ — Melinda Gutierrez (@MelindaDPD) July 8, 2016 
 
 About 1 a.m., the mayor and police chief arrived at Parkland amid a steady stream of officers. Shortly after that, a procession of motorcycle police officers arrived in formation, honor guards wearing white gloves. 
 
 
 
 "We're hurting, our profession is hurting," Brown said. "There are no words to describe the atrocity that occurred to our city. All I know is that this must stop, this divisiveness between our police and our citizens." 
 
 Brown said he's dreaded a night like Thursday, when he had to inform families their loved ones were killed in the line of duty. 
 
 The thought crossed his mind last year, when a man opened fire in June on Dallas police headquarters and led authorities on a chase through the city in an armored vehicle. After an hours-long standoff, a police sniper shot the man outside a fast food restaurant. 
 
 "It's a stark reality of what our profession is going to deal with in this country for years to come," Brown told The News in a story about the headquarters shooting. 
 
 "The idea that snipers might attack us. The idea that someone might plant a bomb to blow us up," he said. "That's something that American law enforcement hadn't had to deal with in years past that I think in the future we will have to deal with." 
 
 Brown has long touted strong police-community relations in the city. Protests and rallies have typically been peaceful. 
 
 Thursday night's shooting will strain an already tight Dallas police force. Since October, 195 officers have left thedepartment. Many of those have retired, but more than 50 officers left for other police agencies. 
 
 In recent months, many officers have been working overtime and non-patrol officers have filled patrol shifts to respond to calls. 
 
 
 
 'We are horrified' 
 
 From Poland, President Barack Obama called the shootings a "vicious, calculated, despicable attack on law enforcement," and said those responsible will be brought to justice. 
 
 "We are horrified over these events and we stand united with the people and the police department in Dallas," he said. 
 
 The White House announced Friday that Obama would be cutting his European trip short to visit Dallas early next week. 
 
 Obama ordered that U.S. flags be flown at half-staff through Tuesday night and called for a review of gun laws. 
 
 
 
 Attorney General Loretta Lynch, at Justice Department headquarters, sought to calm fears after what she called an "unfathomable tragedy" in Dallas, and a "week of profound grief and heartfelt loss." 
 
 She noted that a federal civil rights investigation is underway after the shooting in Louisiana. 
 
 She called the deaths of five Dallas officers a "devastating loss." 
 
 "After the events of this week, Americans across our country are feeling a sense of helplessness, of uncertainty and of fear," Lynch said. "These feelings are understandable, and they are justified. But the answer must not be violence. The answer is never violence. Rather the answer ... must be action — calm, peaceful, collaborative and determined action." 
 
 She offered assurance that peaceful protesters' rights will not be infringed, even as she condemned evildoers who use such gatherings as cover and pretext for acts of violence. 
 
 Dallas County First Assistant District AttornyMessina Madson said Thursday's attack has shaken prosecutors and all law enforcement in a way she has never seen. 
 
 "We work in the criminal courthouse, in a building that is used to dealing with tragedy," Madson said. For everyone "to stop and say 'Whoa,' it shows this really impacts people." 
 
 The DA's officer-involved shooting team is conducting its own investigation, as is done in all shootings of or by police. That investigation is independent of the police investigation. 
 
 "We are there with our own eyes and ears," Madson said. 
 
 
 
 Thursday's protest 
 
 
 
 As the protest ended, bystanders reported hearing multiple shots fired shortly before 9 p.m. in the area of Market and Main streets, near El Centro. 
 
 People were asked to leave the immediate downtown area. Some walked, others ran. Some sheltered in place for several hours in downtown buildings. 
 
 Video and witness accounts portrayed chaotic scenes: "Everyone just started running," said Devante Odom, 21. "We lost touch with two of our friends just trying to get out of there." 
 
 
 
 At the corner of Commerce and Houston, stay-at-home mom Renee Sifflet waited for the situation to die down so she could retrieve her three teenage kids, who were in hiding. 
 
 "I brought them here for a positive experience, something they could say they were part of when they're older, " said Sifflet, of Dallas. "Then it turned negative." 
 
 
 
 When they started running, she said, she lost track of her 15-year-old son for two frightening minutes. "Thank God he has a cellphone," she said. 
 
 
 
 Carlos Harris, who lives downtown, said the shooters "were strategic. It was tap tap, pause. Tap tap, pause." 
 
 Harris, who said he was in the military, said he heard someone fire back with an AR-15. 
 
 Before the shots were fired, the demonstrators had been peacefully walking down Main Street. 
 
 "The cops were peaceful," he said. "They were taking pictures with us and everything." 
 
 People flee downtown Dallas under police orders after reports of an active shooter during tonight's protests over recent officer-involved fatal shootings in Baton Rouge and Minneapolis. More at @dallasnews.com A video posted by Marc Ramirez (@typewriterninja) on Jul 7, 2016 at 7:42pm PDT 
 
 Stacey Brown, 30, and Bianca Avery, 34, were standing behind Dealey Plaza when they heard the shots. 
 
 "This was peaceful," Brown said. "We were headed back to our cars to go home. But we turned that corner [at Main Street] and all hell broke loose." 
 
 "I heard a shot and all of a sudden people are running ... children everywhere, everything," Avery said. 
 
 Facebook activated its crisis safety check Thursday night for people in the area of the shootings to let others know they are safe. 
 
 Officers clear Grayhound bus station after shots fired downtown Dallas at #BlackLivesMatter rally @dallasnews pic.twitter.com/AApwMe4wHQ — DMN Photo (@dallasnewsphoto) July 8, 2016 
 
 After Alton Sterling's shooting death this week in Baton Rouge, La., a rally and march were planned in downtown Dallas. But Philando Castile's death in Falcon Heights, Minn., changed the conversation, North Texas activists said. 
 
 
 
 The men, who were both black, were killed by officers within 48 hours. Cellphone cameras captured both. 
 
 Among the witnesses shaken by the violence were Sharay Santora and her teenage son and daughter, who were walking in the rally when they heard the shots. 
 
 
 
 "We were there to witness all the love that was happening around us when the chaos happened," Santora said. "Everyone was helping each other. It wasn't about black or white; everyone was picking each other up and moving them away. Not only were people doing that, but also the police were there to help." 
 
 Santora said her family's opinions about police have changed over the years they've lived in Dallas. 
 
 "Dallas police officers have been loving, giving, caring and are as much a part of the community as we are," she said. 
 
 This story was compiled from reports by staff writers including Eva-Marie Ayala, Claire Ballor, Claire Z. Cardona, Andrew Chavez, Julieta Chiquillo, Elizabeth Djinis, Caleb Downs, Jennifer Emily, Liz Farmer, Scott Farwell, Brandon Formby, Todd J. Gillman, Holly K. Hacker, Tristan Hallman, Austin Huguelet, Gromer Jeffers Jr., Dalton LaFerney, Nanette Light, Brittney Martin, Kaitlynn Martin, Naomi Martin, Marina Trahan Martinez, G.J. McCarthy, Sarah Mervosh, Ellen Meyers, Jeff Mosier, Marc Ramirez, Naheed Rajwani, Sabriya Rice, Charles Scudder, Avi Selk, Dianne Solis, Tom Steele, Tasha Tsiaperas, Allan James Vestal, Robert Wilonsky and Hannah Wise. 
 
 More on the ambush of Dallas police officers 
 
 
 
 Eight hours of terror: Peaceful protest becomes Dallas police's deadliest day 
 
 
 
 Profiles in courage: A look at the lives of the 14 Dallas ambush victims 
 
 Editorial: This city, our city 
 
 How and why Dallas police decided to use a bomb to end the standoff with lone gunman 
 
 What we know so far about deadly ambush in downtown Dallas 
 
 How to help families of Dallas officers 
 
 How Police Chief David Brown's whole life prepared him for the Dallas shooting 
 
 Man says wounded DART officer saved his life during ambush 
 
 At Dallas police headquarters, the city gathers to memorialize its fallen 
 
 Gun-carrying protester mistaken for sniper talks about his hours as most-wanted man in America
– The chaos in Dallas is over after the city's police headquarters was attacked by a gunman with bombs. A police sniper has indeed killed the suspect inside his van, reports AP. It took a while to confirm because police were cautious about approaching the vehicle. It also appears that he acted alone, contrary to earlier police reports that up to four people were involved. Police Chief David Brown said the man identified himself as James Boulware and blamed police for "accusing him of being a terrorist" and causing him to lose custody of his son. He allegedly opened fire on police headquarters with automatic weapons about 12:30am and left two explosive devices near the building. One of them, described as a pipe bomb, detonated as an explosives robot moved it, but nobody was injured. Authorities say the gunman led police on a chase to a fast-food parking lot, where he holed up in his van and claimed it was rigged with bombs. The Dallas Morning News reports police arrested a James Boulware, now 50, in 2013 after he threatened to attack his family, churches, and schools, and had obtained firearms, ammunition, and body armor. "He blames the police for taking his son away from him," his father, Jim Boulware, tells the newspaper. "I tried to tell him that the police are just doing their job."