Suspect Killed in Dallas Attack Told Police He Wanted to Kill White Officers and That He Wasn't Affiliated With Any Groups [Updated]

At a press conference on Friday morning, Dallas police chief David Brown described statements one of Thursday’s attackers made to negotiators before he was killed. Update (11:15 am): CBS News has identified the suspect as 25-year-old Micah Xavier Johnson, of Mesquite, Texas, a Dallas suburb.

According to Chief Brown, the suspect, whose name had not been released at the time of the press conference, said he was racially motivated. “I want to share with you some of the comments from the suspect,” Brown said. “The suspect said he was upset about upset about Black Lives Matter. He said he was upset about the recent police shootings. He said that he was upset at white people. He stated he wanted to kill white people, especially white officers.”

“The suspect stated that we will eventually find the IEDs. The suspect stated that he was not affiliated with any groups, and he stated that he did this alone.”

Other statements the suspect made, Chief Brown said, are being withheld as they are part of the criminal investigation. “We want to keep the suspects guessing,” he said.

Three other suspected gunmen are currently in custody. Mayor Mike Rawlings made it clear that he and Chief Brown would not release information about those suspects while the investigation is ongoing. “We’re not going to answer any questions about the suspects,” Mayor Rawlings said. “Now is not the right time.”

It was previously reported that the suspect died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound; Chief Brown said those reports were incorrect, and that the suspect was killed after negotiations broke down. Following an exchange of gunfire, Brown said, police deployed a robot carrying a bomb, which they detonated, killing the suspect.

CBS News correspondent David Begnaud reported on Twitter that a law enforcement official said Johnson had claimed to be a U.S. Army veteran. An Army personnel spokesperson confirmed the claim to Stars and Stripes reporter Alex Horton. According to the Los Angeles Times, Johnson had no known criminal history or affiliations with terror groups.