Dallas Police Chief David Brown has appeared before the public on numerous occasions to answer questions about the shooting deaths of five officers Thursday.
He made one such appearance on Sunday when he spoke with CNN’s Jake Tapper. They discussed details of the shooting and also the failed attempt to negotiate with the sniper.
Brown stated that during the negotiations, the shooter, Micah Johnson, appeared to be controlled while intent on causing more damage to law enforcement officers. After realizing negotiations were not going to be successful, the chief ordered the use of an explosive robot to kill Johnson.
Continuing the interview, Tapper brought up President Obama’s response to the shooting, which centered around gun control. He asked Brown to comment on whether he felt that obtaining firearms was too easy.
Brown answered, “So Jake, I wasn’t born last night. Let’s let the policymakers solve that problem, do their job. I’m a servant, so ask me a question about serving this country, and I’ll talk to you for hours. If you ask me a policy question that policymakers haven’t resolved, I’m going to punt and kick it back to you.”
In the inteview with Tapper, Brown said he felt certain that the gunman had intended to make the police pay for punishing “people of color.”
He added that an inspection of Johnson’s home uncovered components for making bombs along with a journal.
When asked about the decision to use an explosive robot to end the standoff, Brown asserted that Johnson had been situated in a position in which the use of a sniper would result in danger to the officers.
Brown answered those critical of his decision by saying, “You have to trust the people whose lives are at stake. I appreciate critics, but they’re not on the ground, and their lives are not at risk.”
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