DALLAS: It has been a sad week for the United States, beginning with the murder of a black man at the hands of an ignorant police officer, followed by a similar case, and rounded off by the death of five Dallas police officers by a US military veteran.
In updates, authorities revealed that sniper Micah X Johnson had plans for a bigger assault and had improvised during the attack. Dallas Police Chief David Brown said Johnson used "shoot and move" tactics to gun down officers at a demonstration, which became the next deadliest day since September 11, 2001. He added that a search of Johnson's house revealed that the gunman had practised using explosives, and other evidence suggested he wanted to use them against law enforcement officers. "We are convinced that this suspect had other plans," he said.
It is believed that the 25-year old shooter had to "fast-track" his plan after the fatal police shootings of two black men in Minnesota and Louisiana. Johnson is a black veteran who served in Afghanistan, and took advantage of a march that began to protest the deaths of black victims Alton Sterling and Philando Castile in two separate police attacks. Brown said he saw a chance to use "high ground" to target the police. While the gunman was killed by a bomb-equipped robot, he was said to have sang, laughed at and taunted police officers, also saying he wanted to "kill white people" in retribution for police killings of black people. "He seemed very much in control and very determined to hurt other officers," Brown said.
US President Barack Obama, in the wake of the shooting and the violence, said the nation still remains united. "As painful as this week has been, I firmly believe that America is not as divided as some have suggested." Speaking in a closing address to the NATO summit in Warsaw, Poland, he noted that Americans of all races and all backgrounds are "rightly outraged by the inexcusable attacks on police." He also said Americans of all races and backgrounds are also "rightly saddened" by the deaths of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and other black civilians at the hands of police system, along with the "larger persistent problems" of racially discriminatory practices in the criminal justice system.
"There is sorrow, there is anger, there is confusion about next steps, but there is unity in recognizing that this is not how we want our communities to operate," Obama said. "This is not how we want to be as Americans. And that serves as the basis for us being able to move forward in a constructive and positive way."
There seems to be no end to the country's troubles as the world superpower finds itself tangled in a mess of faulty gun rights, impending terrorist attacks, domestic terrorist attacks, racism, and not to forget, the formidable prospect of Donald Trump winning the Presidential elections. US currently boils with peace protests, #blacklivesmatter campaigns, a collective call for justice.
