Dallas mayor: Robot ‘safest way’ to end standoff

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings on Sunday defended the police department’s use of a robot with an explosive to kill shooting suspect Micah Xavier Johnson.

“It was a difficult decision because the safety of our police officers were in our mind,” he said on CBS’s “Face The Nation.”

{mosads}”And so the chief had two options and he went with this one. I supported him completely because it was the safest way to approach it.”

Rawlings said the suspected shooter had threatened to “blow up our police officers.” He added that officials had gone to his home and saw he had bomb-making equipment.

“It was very important that we realized that he may not be bluffing,” he said.

“So we asked him, do you want to come out safely or do you want to stay there and we’re going to take you down, and he chose the latter.”

The mayor also praised the Dallas Police Department, saying he was “proud” of the police force. 

Johnson was killed after an attack late Thursday in which five Dallas police officers were killed and more were injured.