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Dallas Police Chief David Brown today told CNN his rationale when approving the use of a robot to deliver an explosive to kill police shooter Micah Johnson during Thursday’s rampage at a protest march. He says negotiations failed and that trying to get a sniper to shoot him would expose more officers to danger.
“I said, use your creativeness to come up with a plan,” Brown said he told his SWAT commanders before holding a late night press conference. “They presented to me what was probably a 15-minute plan they put together to improvise our robot with a device to detonate behind the corner within a few feet of where he was that would take him out.”
Brown said the negotiations had deteriorated to the point where Johnson was mocking police. “He was playing games, laughing at us, asking us how many he had gotten and telling us he wanted to get some more,” Brown said.
The robot delivered about 1 pound of explosives that killed the gunman at the scene. Brown said he’d make the same decision again.
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