Obama heading to Dallas after police killings

WASHINGTON

President Barack Obama will cut short his European trip to return to Washington following the shooting deaths of five police officers in Texas.

Obama will travel to Dallas at the invitation of that city’s mayor.

“Later in the week, at the White House, the president will continue the work to bring people together to support our police officers and communities, and find common ground by discussing policy ideas for addressing the persistent racial disparities in our criminal justice system,” according to White House spokesman Josh Earnest.

Obama was in Poland for a NATO summit meeting and was scheduled to visit Spain.

News of the change in the president’s travel plans come as officials revealed new information in the killings of the officers who were shot during anti-police brutality demonstrations in the city.

The protests were on the heels of the shooting deaths of black men by police officers in separate states earlier in the week.

At a press conference Friday, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said "there appears to have been one gunman" in the Dallas shooting.

According to Johnson, the suspect, Micah Xavier Johnson, who bears no relation to the U.S. official, had "no known links to or inspiration from any international terrorist organization".

The suspect was killed by police when a remote controlled robot detonated a bomb it delivered to a garage where Johnson was holed up.

Johnson was once a U.S. Army reservist and served a tour of duty in Afghanistan, according to media reports. He reportedly told police that he wanted to kill white people, especially white police officers to avenge the deaths of black men fatally shot by police earlier this week.

Authorities found ballistic vests, rifles, ammunition and a journal that detailed combat tactics during a search of Johnson’s house in the Dallas suburb of Mesquite.

Protests against police brutality continued across the country Friday, including demonstrations in Washington DC where hundreds of demonstrators gathered in front of the White House and demanded justice for victims and police reform.

The peaceful protest lasted about an hour.

A protest in Harlem late Friday attracted about 40 marchers – significantly less than the thousands who rallied in Union Square the previous night.