An American Mass Shooting: The Bloody Freaking Details
What really happened during the 2016 Dallas Mass Shooting that claimed the lives of five police officers.
Previously, on TheAntiHeroine, I survived a bloody mass shooting.
In the days after the massacre, horrific details dripped out slowly, although the press chose to suppress many details.
Over eight years, these are some of the details I’ve gathered, some I remember from the night, some from anonymous sources and who knows where else.
It can be painful for me to read further details but I will cite my sources and provide links to further information as best I can.
Prior to the shooting, as the march approached Dealey Plaza, Micah Xavier Johnson, or X as he preferred, parked his car to obstruct traffic at the intersection of Lamar and Main.
According to Wikipedia, Johnson got out of the car to observe the march, and possibly banter with police officers, prior to the shooting.
This makes sense because I remember seeing him while walking down Elm Street. He stood strangely to my left, between the curb and sidewalk, his eyes exuding so much evil that cold shivers enveloped my body, prompting me to inch closer to Athena’s warmth.
After the rally and speeches, as we meandered around that suspiciously car parked on Lamar Street, the first shots flew in our direction as I bent to pick up litter.
I still struggle with the words “I was in the line of fire.”
But I was.
I stood between the shooter and the police officers he calmly executed.
By grasping my arm, Athena saved my life, pulling me from his path as he murdered three police officers: Senior Corporal Lorne Ahrens, Officer Michael Krol and Officer Patrick Zamarippa.
Their lives crippled to an end as Athena and I ducked into El Centro’s parking garage.
Continuing his rampage, X then unleashed his barrage of bullets upon innocent civilians and additional police officers.
Amateur video captured the gunman luring police officers into the open by again firing indiscriminately.
Yet, a hero, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Officer, Brent Thompson, braved the gunfire to save innocent civilians.
But Officer Thompson died when the cowardly X ambushed him, gunning him down from behind.
After executing Officer Thompson, Johnson took aim at El Centro college, injuring two campus officers before gaining entrance to the school.
From the second floor, he set his crosshairs on Sergeant Michael Smith, killing him in the street below.
Trapped in the building, Johnson continued his frenzied shooting as the SWAT team began to evacuate the civilians, including Athena and myself.
Apparently, he was heavily armed and the fiercely raging gun battle prohibited any law enforcement entry.
Hours were spent negotiating with the terrorist as he desecrated walls, scribbling his evil mantras in his own cowardly blood.
The shooting was revenge for the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castille.
Reports expressed he wanted to “kill white people, especially white officers.”
But his motives were significantly more complex, as was his mental health.
Ultimately, the Johnson refused to relent his bloody mission, forcing Dallas PD to deploy a robot armed with a bomb.
And at 2:23 AM, “Target eliminated, All clear.”
****
In the end:
Five police officers were murdered.
13 police officers were shot.
7 civilians were injured.
PTSD for all.
With immense gratitude and in memory of:
DPD Senior Corporal Lorne Ahrens
DPD Officer Michael Krol
DPD Patricio “Patrick” Zamarippa
DART Officer, Brent Thompson.
DPD Sergeant Michael Smith
For more details:
2016 Shooting of Dallas Police Officers - Wikipedia
Five Dallas Officers Were Killed as Payback, Police Chief Says - The New York Times
Dallas Police ‘Ambush’: 12 Officers Shot, 5 Killed During Protest - NBC (notice the careful grammar and verbiage selections. It should read Dallas Police Massacre: 12 Officers Shot, 5 Killed in Mass Shooting)
Dallas Shooting Suspect’s Online Posts Reflect Anger, Frustration - Reuters