part of my conversation with valley and laura. our thoughts, of course, with them, and the families of all of the victims. that's going to wrap-up this hour of msnbc live. tamron hall will pick up our coverage from new york right now. good morning, everyone. i'm tamron hall coming to you live from our msnbc headquarters in new york. right now, at the bottom of your screen, you see it there. we are waiting for dallas police chief david brown to hold a briefing for us this morning. now, the police chief is expected to update us on the investigation into last thursday ambush that took the lives of five dallas police officers and wounded two other officers and two civilians. now, already this morning, we are learning some chilling new details about the gunman. a dallas county official has confirmed to msnbc that the search for 25-year-old micah johnson's home uncovered evidence that he may, in fact, have had a bigger plan. >> reporter: we have learned that he had -- he was amassing a

capability to cause even more mayhem than he did cause. he was amassing bomb-making materials. we have released some more information from his journal, showing that he was planning for a long time very deliberate in his desire to kill as many people as he could. >> now that is dallas county judge clay jenkins. he also talked about the the revelation that micah johnson scrawled the letters rb in his own blood on the walls of the parking garage where s.w.a.t. teams had cornered him and indicated authorities. certainly they are trying to decipher the meaning of those letters. >> we don't know at this time what rb stands for. the profilers will take that piece of information and a lot of other information, and they're trying to draw a picture of that. >> and, again, we are waiting for this president conference to start. meanwhile, president obama cut short his trip to spain, returning to the u.s. he is expected to attend an

interfaith ceremony in dallas, along with former president george w. bush, who will be in attendance with former first lady, laura bush. we're learning that micah johnson's parents told "the blaze" website in an exclusive interview their son showed a noticeable change in behavior after being discharged from the army in 2015. his mother claims she watched her son transform from a fun-loving extrovert into a, quote, hermit after his military service. she also said that growing up as a child, that he actually wanted to be a police officer. the blaze described johnson's parents as grief-stricken, and as mentioned all of this unfolds as president obama plans to visit dallas. let's go to nbc's -- msnbc's tammy leitner, joining us from dallas as we wait for this news conference. what we heard from the county judge this morning, very same thing that the police chief said yesterday. they're trying to figure out what this rb message may have

meant, as well as more details about the plan, the larger plan that micah johnson wanted to put in place. >> reporter: that's ght. still an enormous amount of unanswered questions, and work to be done. downtown dallas, 20 blocks still closed, which means fbi agents are out here. we have seen them last night, this morning, processing the scene. this is a really multi-layered investigation. not only do they have to figure out and trace all the shots that were fired by the shooter, they also have to trace all the shots that were figured -- fired by their police officers, and piece those together. we had the chance to speak with fred frazier, a detective with the criminal intelligence division at the dallas police department, and he gave us an idea of how big this investigation is. let's listen to what he had had to say. >> it's going to take weeks for them to narrow this down. i mean, they're still doing interviews with the officers. trying to figure out how, you know, he got there. where he started at. you've got so many witnesses. you've got to remember, you've

got a protest going on, so you've got a mass number of people that are witnessing this. you've got a mass number of people that have data that's on their phones. so you've got every angle from our streets, and you've got street cameras that they've got to investigate. where this all came from. so you've got a massive, massive investigation on your hands. >> reporter: he tells me they're still interviewing witnesses, they'll be interviewing witnesses for weeks to come. and also with social media and everybody having cell phone cameras, they expected over the coming days and weeks new videos, new information will come out. and just to put this into perspective, tamron, this is the biggest investigation that the dallas police department has had since the jfk assassination. >> all right, tammy, thank you. let me bring in texas democratic representative, sheila jackson lee, live from houston. thank you so much for joining us again. >> thank you, so much, for having me. >> we just heard the reports on the investigation at this point. police feel confident that this

individual is the sole person responsible for this heinous act. you well know, though, the larger conversation of what this has done to race relations, not in texas alone, but in this country. you have the president going to texas tomorrow. what is your reaction? what is your gut feeling, congresswoman, now the reality of this now settling in over the weekend, including the deaths of the two motorists, or the two individuals under investigation in louisiana and in minnesota? >> well, first of all, i know that both of us love our state, texas. we love this nation. and i think it's very important that, again, we offer our deepest sympathy to the fallen officers in dallas. because right now we know families are mourning. and this is the largest shooting and killing of police officers with the largest amount of loss of life since 9/11. and that we can't step aside from. and as a member of the homeland security committee and united states congress, i think it is important for the nation to know that our hearts are broken, as

evidenced by congresswoman eddie bernice johnson, and we join texans and the congress joined her in a moment of recognition. but we do this in the backdrop of needing to heal this nation, and to bring this nation together. we as elected officials cannot step aside from a very important duty. that means that the hurt and the pain that is being experienced by families in dallas also we have to as a doctor dealing with many patients, we have to address others who are hurting. and calling the role on some incidents of bad elements, all be it bad elements, that have to be cured in the nation's law enforcement. that means that people want us to say the names of mr. sterling as it's being investigated. mr. castile and those who passed. tamir rice, walter scott, and michael brown and sandra bland and many others. and i think we can do that. and i think we can do that by acknowledging that the

perpetrator in dallas was full of hate. unfortunately, he may have also had mental illness concerns. but we have the responsibility to see something and say something. how did he get past so many people, and then get to the point of going and taking an ar-15 and literally gunning down and murdering police officers in the street. so my point here is, congress has to get to work. the president has shown himself to be the healer of the commander in chief and the healer in chief. the uniter in chief. he has a heart that wants us to embrace the better aspects of america. but at the same time, we have to work legislatively to cure some of these problems so that americans who are in pain in many instances can see that the congress and the government is working on their behalf. >> what legislative changes could impact what we have seen play out? and what i mean by that, obviously, the loss of life for

the police officers. but let's start to wear this incredible week of heart break began, the two investigations of two individuals, black men, shot by police. what legislative changes would you propose here? >> well, first of all, let me commend chief brown in dallas. i've watched him through this period of dragic, and he is indicated still to be a man that believes in community police relations, embracing the dallas community, and wanting them to embrace him. i happen to live in a city with former mayor and chief of police, commissioner of police out of new york, brown, who could be called the father of community-oriented policing. a law enforcement and integrity act, which is a reformation of policing in america. it draws a lot upon the the police report given by the president's task force on training, deescalation, giving

incentives to police departments for the community work that they do and the training they do, and the level of education that police officers have. it is an affirmation of goodness. it is not a punitive legislative initiative. but what it does is seeks to permeate all of the small, medium and large police departments, and put them at an equal level. maybe some thoughts should be given to regionalism in police departments. so there's a certain standard. and that everyone knows that you don't have to pursue a case or an issue to the point of death of the particular individual you're trying to arrest. you can deescalate. you can pull back. you can call for support. so that's part of it. and the other is, let the speaker have a point where we can work together on this whole closing the gun show loopholes, and no fly, no buy. closing the gun show loopholes certainly would have impacted the emmanuel nine, and this individual playing war games in his backyard.

and it would have stopped him from securing all of these weapons. he's not in the military any more. and so the question is, why did he need an ar-15. i think that we can show compassion, we cannot politicize this. we can seek to heal and embrace and love. i can express my broken heartedness about these officers. because we love law enforcement. we are a country of law and order. >> which is why i want to ask you, congresswoman -- let me ask you, there was an article that i read over the weekend. this idea that some believe that if you are black that you cannot be pro black lives matter and pro police. that this notion you've got to -- or that it is perceived that black people are on one side or the other, as if there are no african-american police officers in many of our cities who are protecting us alongside officers from all races. that you cannot somehow support both. why do you believe that there are those who stoke this notion that we have to pick a side

here? >> thank you so much for giving me that question. it is sad, but i will say that america is still struggling with race. and what race does, it divides. it means that if you're an african-american, maybe if you're hispanic, then you have to be single in focus. and that is what we have to break through. we thought we had done it in the movement of dr. king and john lewis and andy young. that we had brought america to a place where we saw everyone as a human being. but frankly, black lives matter is a young movement of young, bright people, college-educated and others, if you will. it is a poe pay of anglo, hispanic, asian. if you watch the marches of young people, they are many backgrounds. and all they're calling for is a recognition that black lives matter, too. not to the exclusiveness of the death of many others. yes, all lives matter. and certainly, as a member of

the judiciary committee, i deal in law enforcement all of the time. i respect the sacrifice they make, and i am not singular in my views. because as you well said, we have aunts and couples and mothers and fathers, cousins, that are all in law enforcement. and we are so proud. you always hear mothers say, he wants to grow up, or she wants to grow up to be a police officer. what america has to do is accept the pain of those who want justice in one instance, but also recognize that we are americans and what do americans do. we respect the law enforcement structure of this country, and when we're in need, we call them. look at all the heroic stories, tamron, we heard about police officers who were protecting the protesters as the bullets rang out. al i can say to them is i thank you and i have to respond to the justice questions that come before the united states congress and america. and i frankly believe we can do this together. >> and just quickly, i want to

get your response to people like mayor guiliani, the former mayor of new york, who seems to believe or has expressed that african-american parents are not doing a better job in teaching their children to comply and to respect the law. what's your reaction to those who believe that? that somehow this is a breakdown in the black home, and one that doesn'teach respect or compliance of police when appropriate. >> i am a mother of a african-american son, and i teach my son all times to respect authority. but let me say this to mayor guiliani. mayor guiliani, i want you to understand the predict that african-american families are in when there is the very thought that sending their sons out into the world. and maybe even their daughters. that they will not get the same equal treatment under the law. that is a question we have to grapple with as a whole country. and pointing the finger is not an answer. being an the outside, seeing and

looking into a society or culture that you have no understanding of, and you cannot respect of the good intentions and the good teachings and the faith teachings that are instilled in our young people by single parents, by grandparents. and i imagine, unfortunately, the tragic, hateful gentleman that perpetrated the acts in dallas. there is a mother and father who raised him up. and unfortunately, he became soaked with hate. let's just call it what it is. that is not the upbringing of african-american parents. and at the same time, even major leaders in law enforcement recognize that there has to be a turning of the pointer in the interaction with law enforcement in some instances, some elements, and the african-american community. and that's why we solve the problem. not in pointing the finger and blaming others. that's not healing america. that's not bringing us together. that's not recognizing our multiple cultural differences

and recognizing the greatness of this nation. >> congresswoman, thank you so much. we greatly appreciate it. it was a somber and heart-wrenching scene saturday as the body of one of the police officers killed, dallas area rapid transit officer, blend thompson was taking back to his hometown. people waited to pay their respects and even stopped traffic in some places along the 55-mile route from dallas. officer thomas, a father of six, children and three grandchildren. he was also a newly wed. his wife of two weeks also the d.a.r.t. police force member. and more now on the victims. nbc's jane object rascon joins us from dallas. we see the growing memorial behind you, jacob. >> and why don't as we talk about these officers show you this memorial as we zoom out. you're going to be able to see we have a mixture of people who have come from the community and as well officers. they have all come just to take part in all of this support. and you can tell there are hundreds and hundreds of

balloons and flowers and notes. so we have this week mike smith, his funeral on thursday lorne ahrens, his funeral wednesday. and another note, we went to the southwest division of the police department, just 20 minutes away, yesterday. where we realized that six of the officers hurt or killed were stationed -- were assigned there. you had three officers, including lorne ahrens and also michael krol, patrick zamarripa killed. and others injured. we're learning more as well from those who were injured who were not officers. we had a couple civilians, including sheet annia taylor. and here's what she had to say. >> they had no regard for their own life. they stayed there with us. they surrounded my son and i. and i'm so thankful for that. because all i could do is just

lie on top of him and just pray. i'm so sorry that they lost their lives. but i'm thankful. i'm so thankful. i had never seen anything like that. the way they just came around us and just guarded us like that. >> what you're seeing here is a group of dallas fire/rescue. you can tell by their shirts. they're being approached by someone otherwise a stranger coming up to thank them. you see that over and over and over. i was talking to the major at southwest division who was telling me the reality of all of it is just beginning to set in for some officers who want to put on a strong face. but as we start to see the funerals and other occasions like that, the reality of all of it is going to really set in for some of these officers.

tamron? >> absolutely, jacob. and to watch that scene saturday, the body of officer brent thompson on its way to corsicana, taking him home to family there was an incredible sight to see. and one that will never be forgotten by anyone who witnessed it, whether they were standing on the overpass or saw it on television. as we await right now, the dallas police chief, david brown, expected to give us an update on the investigation. we're waiting for him. we're also still following the development happening across the country, more arrests, more protests all weekend long. in baton rouge, the death of alton sterling, one of the protesters arrested and released over the weekend, prominent activist and black lives matter leader, de ray mckinson. what he is saying now about his arrest, we'll show you that later. and in minnesota, police arrest more than 100 people over the weekend, after the death of philando castile. later this hour, his girlfriend,

diamond reynolds, the woman whose video went viral and resulted in the investigation and really where we are now with that story. she will join me live here in studio. we're following breaking news out of dallas. police chief david brown is speaking right now. let's listen in. >> this investigation and clarification on the make and model of the robot we used to carry a device to detonate that ended the standoff. i'm going to start with that.

so the robot is a remo tech, r-e-m-o-t-e-c andros, a-n-d-r-o-s, mark 5-a1. and that mark five is roman numeral 5. so mark-v-a 1. we purchased in 2008 at a cost of approximately $151,000. there's partial damage to the extension arm of the robot. but it is still functional. if we had to use it for other operations. an update on our investigation of the shootings. our detectives are continuing to download body camera footage

from the officers at the scene. there's over 170 hours of body camera video to download, and that is ongoing. detectives are also collecting all dash cam video. so that's the video mounted on the squad cars that also recorded some of the incident. so detectives will be reviewing all videos from surrounding businesses, as well. and that's also countless hours of video. our plans are to date and time stamp the entire incident with all video footage available. so that we can see from the beginning as much as we can real-time action as it happened that evening.

just an update on the injuries and deaths, just to make sure we have clear clarification. five officers were killed. nine officers were wounded. as a result of gunfire or fragmentation of bullets. of the nine officers wounded, four were dallas police officers. three were d.a.r.t. officers. and two were dallas county community college police department officers. there at el centro. that brings the total number of officers -- i'm sorry. the -- one of the d.a.r.t.

officers that was wounded fired their weapon. so according to our investigative notes now, that brings the total number of officers who used force against the suspect to 13. 13 used force against a suspect. of that 13, 11 officers used their firearms, and two officers used an explosive device against the suspect. detectives are reviewing over 300 statements to determine which witnesses and officers need to be brought back for further interviews. our detectives have also found some officers that were at the

scene have not given statements yet. this has been confirmed through our preliminary review of body camera video. so these officers will be identified and brought in to give statements to us. the dallas police department, working with the federal bureau of investigations. we're working also with our law enforcement officials in the area to determine the meaning of the initials "r.b." that were describe scribed on the wall there in two locations inside el centro. all of the police vehicles that were processed by the fbi at the scene have been taken to the naval air station here to ensure that officers' personal property is returned to the families when appropriate.

can i also give -- before i take questions -- just an overview of the work that dallas police officers have done here in dallas to protect the citizens. 2015, just last year, was our unprecedented 12th consecutive year of crime reduction. for a total of 53% reduction in crime, more than any major city in this country during that period. and more than at any other time in our history. here in dallas. we have our records back to 1930, to today. in 2015, we had our

fourth-lowest murder rate since 1930. that followed 2014, was our second-lowest murder rate since 1930, in over 86 years. 2011 was our fifth-lowest murder rate in our city's history. 2013 was our sixth-lowest murder rate. in 2010, our tenth-lowest murder rate. and they have done this by also protecting the civil rights of our citizens. through community policing. in 2015, there was a 45% reduction in police-involved shootings. this year, we had had one shooting, where a subject was injured. not counting the downtown shooting. we had four other police-involved shootings where

we missed -- shot and missed. we have averaged over my 33-year career between 18 and 25 shootings a year. in addition to that in 2015, we had a 67% reduction in excessive force complaints. we average over 150 to 200 every year for the past 33 years. and last year, we had 14. the overall crime rate here in dallas is at a 50-year low. violent crime is at a 40-year low. our community policing efforts put us in positive contacts with over 121,000 young people here in dallas. this is the best department in the country.

and i'm proud to be associated with the men and women of the dallas police department. and this tragedy incident will not discourage us. from continuing the pace of urgency and changing and reforming policing in america. with that, i'll take my first question from kasie with fox. >> you know all of us in this room and the rest of us in america, our hearts go out to you and your department and community. [ inaudible ] >> thank you. >> a question. i just want to know how you are doing. as you characterize on-air and in reports, law enforcement, the brotherhood, sisterhood. what goes through your mind, chief, when you put your head your honon your pillow at night and process this and what is happening in this department.

>> to be quite honest, i'm running on fumes. many of you have asked for interviews. i've tried to nicely ignore you. i hope you understand that my brain is fried. the memorization it takes to run a major city police department on a normal process day with all of the things that happen is overwhelming. so this transpiring along with the normal things that are continuing to happen in the city is -- is difficult, at best. again, i go back to i'm a person of faith. i believe that i'm able to stand here and discuss this with you is a testament to god's grace and his sweet, tender mercies. just to be quite honest with you. because what we're doing, what we're trying to accomplish here is above challenging. it is -- we're asking cops to do too much in this country. we are. we're just asking us to do too

much. every societal failure, we put it off on the cops to solve. not enough mental health funding. let the cop handle it. not enough drug addiction funding. let's give it to the cops. here in dallas, we've got a loose dog problem. let's have the cops chase loose dogs. you know, schools fail. give it to the cops. 70% of the african-american community is being raised by single women. let's give it to the cops. to solve that, as well. that's too much to ask. policing was never meant to solve all of those problems. and i just ask for other parts of our democracy, along with the free press, to help us. to help us and not put that burden all on law enforcement to resolve. so, again, i'm just being pretty honest with you. you know, i have raw feelings about all of what we do. and don't ask me if you don't

want the answer. [ inaudible question ] >> what's being given to the department itself, and you talk about what -- the resources available to officers to help them grieve and process what you have. >> raz whale important now for officers, counseling services. i'm at the point of making a tough decision about mandating some of it. because we want to be superman and superwoman, and we're not. and we are the last to say we need help. our profession has suffered from this for quite a while now. and i -- don't want that on my conscience, if someone needs help and they're too proud to ask, i'm getting close to mandating this, seeking council with my staff to make sure i don't make matters worse. but that's the number one thing we need. everything else, we need, we're getting from our law enforcement partners and from our city manager and from our mayor and

counsel. so we are getting all the support we need from dallas. along with support from our citizens. this has been greatly appreciated. and heartfelt. matt from abc. >> you're running on fumes, doing a good job. >> thank you. >> yesterday you mentioned -- a laptop and cell phone of the shooter. i wonder if you have any information about anybody who might have known about this. and also, following up on what casey mentioned, yesterday i noticed that your body guard is guarding you very, very carefully. there have been threats against the department. have you received personal death threats against you? >> yes, me and my family have received death threats almost immediately after the shooting. we're -- as a policing family here in dallas and across the country, there is a heightened sense of awareness around

threats we receive all over the country. you reported many of the things happening in other cities with shootings at headquarters and other types of things, officers being shot and injured and shot and killed. and so we're at a -- we're at a place where we're concerned for our safety. so i don't want to just single out me. everyone's experiencing the same type of awareness, increased awareness, because of people who, in my opinion, are not stable. who could do great, great damage to us. so we're -- we're all on edge. we are. we're all on edge. and we're being very careful. >> i assume these were credible threats against you and your family? >> we're taking them all as credible. whether they can be confirmed or not. my particular threat was a post from a private facebook to our dallas police department facebook. so we've been unable to identify

the source of the threat. but we're taking it very seriously. the language was such that we have to do that for the sake of our families. >> was it racially motivated? >> no. gabe, nbc, yes, sir. >> yes, sir, thank you. there is a report out today that suggests micah johnson was black-lifted by black power organizations. that's the first question. was he black-listed by several black power organizations, based on your investigation. and is it a possibility that he the letters r.b. could have been part of an acronym could have been used? >> we don't have that information to confirm. either of those. we are following any and all leads. i am a little bit old-school cop. until you show me we've exhausted every lead, i'm not

going to be convinced that we know everything. about what happened, associations, others that might be complicit. so i'm going to -- we're going to turn over every rock. we're going to follow every lead until this is exhausted, until i'm satisfied that this was the lone person. and i may be overly concerned about this. but i'm highly protective of cops. and i'm going to make sure there is nobody else out there that had something else to do with this. >> how is it possible that -- the family being young, is stock piling weapons in his home. >> you sound like a cop, brother. that's my question. emmanuel? >> thank you. as far as the investigation, knowing what you know now, is there anything that could have been done to prevent this attack? and on the wider scale, protests around the country are only intensifying. as a black person, a black male law enforcement officer, how do

you bridge those two? >> if anything could be done, it needs to be done by our public. which includes the protesters. to have greater concern about the requirements that it puts on law enforcement when you have spontaneous protests, or even planned protests to ensure their safety. but not to be inconsiderate of the officers' safety. that's what could be done differently. from the officers' perspective, they did a courageous, admirable job. bravery is not a strong enough word to describe what they did that day. not only in planning to make sure the rally was done in a safe manner, that they had the right to protest, but improvising, making sure that as they spontaneously began to march, that we were able to

block traffic where there were no accidents with vehicles and pedestrians, trying to march and exercise. because that was unplanned. that was spontaneous. but again, i want emphasize, if something can be done, it's going to be done in the public square. it's going to be done by our citizens, understanding that this democracy requires their participation. you get my point? it's not something you can sit on the sideline and be a part of democracy. the way our country was founded, it required participation. >> and, again, chief, with another question if i may, all the protests happening nationwide now, as an african-american and a law enforcement official, how do you bridge those two worlds? >> so i've been black a long time, emmanuel. [ laughter ] it's not so much of a bridge for me. it's everyday living. i grew up here in texas.

third generation dallas site. it's my normal. to live in this society that had a long history of racial -- you know, strife. we're in a much better place than we were when i was a young man here. but we have much more work to do. particularly in our profession. and leaders in my position need to put their careers on the line to make sure we do things right. and not be so worried about keeping their job. that's how i approach it. and i hope that it's an example for others to approach. the way we conduct ourselves as police officers. is hannah with pbs here? no? carlos? >> first of all, i'm sorry about what the agency is dealing with right now. my first questions will be what the community can do for the police department and also from

the city right now. we are approaching funerals. there is going to be grief for the city and country, as well. >> there is a lot that can be done. let me reserve that commentary. i don't want to get too far from what we have planned for the rest of the week. we're starting some of the services tomorrow. we have a candlelight vigil tonight at 8:00. but there is much that can be done from political leaders. there is much that can be done from the free press. and there is much that can be done from everyday citizens. and i have tried to talk a lot about that. i don't want to get too distracted from grieving the loss. and there will be a time for expanded conversation on what can be done. >> and also, given the success of the agency in the past year,

this year the agency has been experiencing a series of -- are you afraid this amount of resignations is going to increase or ? >> you glossed over that. resignations -- our officers have been leaving because we're the lowest paid in the area. the lowest paid. 44 grand, our starting pay. and they have been leaving to go to other adjoining law enforcement agencies because of that. so it's not just resignation. it's officers not feeling appreciated. and so i just want to make that pretty clear that officers are committed to this profession, but they want to take their of their families financially, as well. we're working to correct that, and i have -- every indication i get from the mayor, city manager and city council, they want to correct that as soon as possible. and i trust that they will. salvador? >> yes, chief.

you spoke about how -- [ inaudible [ inaudible ] the crime scene. and also, have you had a chance to speak with members of the police department, and if so, what have you told them about the future of this department? >> as far as the ongoing investigation, there is many questions in my mind. some of the questions we may not ever know the answer to, but we're going to continue to ask ourselves the tough questions to make sure we don't leave anything uninvestigated. so we are making sure that we don't take any things for granted that we know without a full investigation. so there's -- there's a lot of questions, and it's very complex. this person obviously had some delusion. this person also was very committed to killing officers.

we don't know much else beyond that. that we can say with certainty. but we're going to find out. as far as what i'm saying to my officers, i'm trying to tell them i care about them when i see them face-to-face. this is a big department, hard to touch everybody at one time. so you won't see me seeing an officer without grabbing them and hugging them and telling them how grateful i am for their commitment and sacrifice. jay? "time?" >> our condolences. you once told the "dallas morning news" you were afraid of police. how did you overcome that fear, and how would you tell young african-american men to overcome that fear? >> so when i -- graduating high school, i got a full ride scholarship to ut austin. and this was 1979. i come back home for the summer,

around '80, '81, '82, that time frame, the cocaine epidemic hit dallas hard. my friends who stayed here became involved in that. and it broke my heart. and it changed what i wanted to do. in college. and i actually left college in my first semester of my senior year to come back and apply for the dallas police department and do something about what i was seeing in my neighborhood. and my first beat was my old neighborhood and that was just happenstance. i'm the kind of person that -- i probably wouldn't protest or complain. i get involved. and do something about it. by becoming part of the solution. and that's still in me. that keeps me going. that i get so much satisfaction that i can do a small thing to help this community.

i just love dallas. and i love serving. it's part of my character, it's part of who i am. i get -- out of all the crap we've got to take as police officers, the satisfaction you get with serving, much more gratifying. much more gratifying. it's like that for a lot of police officers in this country. >> and what advice would you give to young black men today to overcome their fear? >> become a part of the solution. serve. your communities. don't be a part of the problem. we're hiring. we're hiring. get off that protest line and put an application in. and we'll put you in your neighborhood and we will help you resolve some of the problems you're protesting about. keith? >> chief, good morning. a couple questions. i want to get into it if we can what prompted the decisions made. what prompted the decision to send in a robot.

and also what prompted the decision to -- [ inaudible ] to continue negotiations? >> he had already killed us in a grave way. and officers were in surgery that didn't make it. i didn't know they would pass. but i knew that at least two had been killed. and we knew through negotiation, this was a suspect. because he was asking us how many did he get. and he was telling us how many more he wanted to kill. this wasn't a -- ethical dilemma for me. i would do it again, keith. i would do it again to save our officers' lives. >> and what prompted you to use the robot? >> to use the robot? i would use any tool necessary to save our officers' lives. and i'm not ashamed to say it. dan? >> i'm sorry, one follow-up question, sergeant. did anything change as a result in terms of your tactics, in terms of community policing as a result of what happened? >> we are committed to community

policing. it is -- in the 21st century, it is the best way to police our country. it's the best way. and i read those stats off to make my point. we have been a community policing organization, and we have led the country for 12 consecutive years in crime reduction. by doing that type of policing. community policing works. it makes us all safer. i'm convinced. dan? >> chief, thanks for taking these questions. do we have any more information about the rifle he used? was it bought legally? where and when it was bought? and secondly, i know the president is coming here this week. what specifically would you like to hear him say? >> i don't have the information about his gun. of i know we have it. but i didn't bring it here with me. i didn't put it to memory. i'm sure they have told me, and

it's just -- i'm drawing a blank. so we'll try to get that out here as soon as this is over to you all in a press release. as far as me chiming in on telling the president what to say, i'm going to pass. on that. if you don't mind. he's the president. for god sake. all right. allen? [ inaudible question ] >> can you talk about what you have learned as far as preparation. [ inaudible ] >> yeah, i believe dallas, because that's what happened. i don't know whether or not he planned to escape and then the bombing would start. or he didn't have time to complete. we just don't know how the bombing aspect of his plans were

going to play out. we're looking for those answers. and the concern is that we haven't found something that's out there. that's the concern. we don't know that that's reality. but we're asking the question and trying to find leads to see if there is any answers to that. molly? >> yes. thank you. just a followup on that. do you have any sense of how he was planning and what the original time line was? i know you said yesterday it was fast-tracked and also have -- in terms of potential accomplices, in terms of his family members in question been detained? >> not detained. we questioned his mother. we don't know the scope of his plans yet. as soon as we do know that, we will share them with you. once we're comfortable that it won't compromise the investigation.

you're not lucy. so you must be trevor. >> yes, sir. >> i'm sorry, molly. >> in terms of the explosives or bombin bombing. [ inaudible ] >> there was a large stockpile. one of the bomb text called me at home to describe his concern of how large a stockpile of bomb-making materials he had. and according to that bomb tech, he knew what he was doing. that wasn't some novice. so what's on his laptop, how he learned that, we don't think he learned it in the military. at least we don't have any evidence of that. you can learn all of that online, i guess. so we're trying to determine how he learned how to do that. so we don't have the amount. but as soon as -- it's another thing that hopefully my staff is taking notes here. we can get out to you in a press release as soon as we're comfortable that it won't compromise the investigation.

>> did the bomb tech expert say anything about how much it could have blown up? >> no, they did not. >> thank you. >> trevor? >> you trevor. >> you talked about the site of how many people dumped on that. back in high school, hello, said my teacher. it's three branchs of government, right? legislative, judicial, and executive. we're a local democracy here in dallas, and our council has a role, but there's a greater role in policy-making, and folks just need to do their job. there's too many things we all agree on, on both sides of the aisle that we hadn't gotten

done. and we just need to get it done. and quit asking cops to chime in and do it for you. we got a full plate. if the policy-making, the laws being passed, that's their job, and they need to do it so that we can be safer in this country. and the issues have been long discussed. i can't stand watching cable news anymore. it discussed forever, and we're not getting to a place where we do anything. and that's the frustration for a police officers. is that we all know what's needs to be done, we agree on, let's get that done. just to say we did something. to help everyone. do you have a follow-up? >> can you elaborate on that, a lot of folks don't understand that. from the frontlines, what does need to be done? can you explain that? >> well something on guns. you know, i was asked, well, what's your opinion about guns? well ask the policy makers to do

something, then i'll give you an opinion. put a law out there, but to have me do that job, i'll pass on that. get in that debate and get swallowed up by both sides who are entrenched in their positions. i want no part of that. do your job. we're doing ours. we're putting our lives on the line, the government needs to step up and help us. anything else, trevor? >> you kind of on the past on the distrust of police that runs throughout the black community, how do you begin to break down that notion that cooperating with the police is to the training? >> i think the biggest aspect of our community policing efforts is interacting with youth. in away. let that the begin shaping your world view, get to young people, but every opportunity you have,

viewed differently than what their environment is telling them. so that's number one. number two is holding yourself accountable. when the 1% or 2% of officers don't do the job in the right ways. separate employment. that's just what it means. risk that one are defining the profession by their mistakes. so that really those are two big rocks i think we could all, hopefully agree on that young people and holding officers accountable for what they do is gaining trust. >> i know you have been very chief on the bee, coffee with cops, and is that something you could like see out of other departments across the country? >> the departments are

understanding what needs to be done. they all have their ways of doing things. i participate in major city chief's association. great association, and we all discuss every quarter all the agencies get together, chiefs and discuss all of this. and the policing environment, i think, is the one held most accountable. and the one if you look back, just a generation to make the most progress. we just need to see that from all aspects of government. john. >> good morning, chief. >> good morning. >> question about how your officers are doing the job today. after this, this incident, we know that some of your officers are patrolling in pairs now. one of your detectives told me that they don't know if they're being hunted. reminded me that the round went through body armor like butter. how do your men and women go out

and practice community police i ing, do you have the shadow of this horrific event that's now happened a few days ago? and i have a follow-up on both. >> okay. so how they do it with steel resolve. bravery and courage. that's how they do it. and knowing that community policing makes them safer. if they trust you to protect you. and when something goes wrong, to give you the evidence to resolve crime. if they trust you. so trust is a thing that is invaluable. it's priceless if we're able to build this kind of trust that need us the most, especially, that is the safest way to police. follow-up on open carry? >> we know that there was at least one gunman who was a suspect, person of interest that -- during the

demonstration, he had a weapon around his shoulder, what does this tell you about people using the new texas law, open carry and demonstration? >> that is difficult at best. we expressed this, you know, it's a little different here in texas. where you from? >> here. >> you're from texas, you know, all right. it's a little different here in texas and the way we view open carry, concealed carry, and we've had great dialogue with our state. to merck it works, so the citizen can express their second amendment rights. but it's increasingly challenging when people have ar-15s slung over and shootings occur in a crowd and they begin running and we don't nose, or, we don't know if they're the shooter or not or they begin -- it's been the prujs that a good

guy with a gun is the best way to resolve some of these things. we don't know who the good guy is versus the bad guy is if we start shooting. we've expressed that concern as well. i have every belief and trust that our folks are listening at the state on this issue. particularly as it involves protest. jason. >> you mentioned the mother, are there other family members being cooperative? >> i don't have in a information. i don't have any indication that they're not being cooperative at this point. >> regarding the letters, is there a chance to get another letter, or were you assured? >> when i find it out, i will certainly share it with you. i'd like to lee that private, if you don't mind.

>> you asked for support that is all happening, dallas, and i used the word dallas loves because dallas has had the reputation of being a city that hates. so just one example why i say it loves. they took an inner city kid like me with flaws, and made it, made me their police chief. that's extraordinary city. and have supported me through very difficult challenges. you don't see that everywhere. you know, one of the first people to get fired with police chief get thrown under the bus, one of the most difficult jobs being a police chief in a major city. i've seen my friends just thrown

under the bus, man, when something goes bad. i have this mayor, this council, this city manager, the previous city manager, hello mary, she hired me. they're different people. they're special. and i'm just proud to be working here as theirice chief. i'm just proud to be associated with the leadership here in this town. it's a special place. it really is. that's all i had on my list. hang on just a second. hang on just a second. nobody else is on my list. if you do this orderly, i take my questions. if y'all talk over each other, i'm going to have a cup of coffee. lady in the orange, who you working? >> question's not about the investigation, but all is planned this week. how do you compare yourself? >> i have no idea. today will be a day hopefully after this, i can really get in

a quiet place and get my head around these services. it's going to be the most challenging thing in my life. to be quite honest with you. i don't know how i'm going to make it through the week. that's why i wanted to do this, where i could have the rest of the day to begin to services tomorrow, and hopefully you all won't bug me and respect that i'm trying to get through the last funeral, from tuesday until the last funeral. if you do, i hope you understand why i ignore you. i like all of you, well, most of you, and we can hopefully get past this with god's good grace. yes. >> chief, on the explosive device that you used, previous police statement with the c-4 plus the cut cable -- >> yes. >> was there any structural damage sustained in the garage or anywhere else? and exactly what part was it used in and