A grand jury has declined to bring charges against Dallas police officers who used a bomb-carrying robot to kill a sniper who had just gunned down five officers during a downtown rally, prosecutors announced Wednesday.

The Dallas County District Attorney’s office said in a release that investigators presented their findings to a grand jury more than a year after the July 7, 2016, attack by Micah Johnson, a 25-year-old Army reservist who investigators said was upset by recent shootings of black men by police.

The use of the robot to detonate a pound of C4 explosives near Johnson, killing him, was a first for a U.S. police department.

David Brown, who was the police chief at the time and has since retired, said shortly after Johnson was killed that he made the decision to use the robot because negotiations had failed and he wanted to end the continued threat to officers. Police said they believed Johnson was also wounded by gunfire, but few details about the police response that night have been shared with the public.

A spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office said staff could not discuss what evidence was presented to the grand jury.

Veterans Health Administration documents showed that Johnson sought mental health treatment for anxiety, depression and hallucinations after he returned from Afghanistan.

His parents, who are divorced, have given few interviews since the shooting. Federal court records don’t show any pending lawsuits from family members challenging the police response or the use of the robot.

District Attorney Faith Johnson, who has no relation to the gunman, noted that all police shootings are required to be examined by a grand jury.

“Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the families of those who lost their lives that night, the officers who were injured, and all of the men and women who courageously put themselves into harm’s way, all in an effort to protect our community,” Johnson wrote.

She added later to her statement, saying, “As with all officer-involved-cases, this case was presented to the Grand Jury to determine if the use of force by police was reasonable given the unique facts and circumstances of the case presented.”

The decision appears to conclude the investigation, and a police spokeswoman issued a statement saying the department is pleased with the outcome and hopes to move forward with healing.

Micah Johnson started shooting at officers who were minding a rally against shootings of blacks by police in other cities. Johnson eventually holed up in a community college building, when police officers used the bomb-carrying robot to end an hours-long standoff.

Johnson died from his injuries, but little more is known about the decision to use the robot. Brown wrote about his role in the decision in his autobiography, but he said during interviews about the book that he purposefully did not look at the investigative file while writing his account.

The Associated Press, along with other media outlets, filed multiple Freedom of Information requests regarding the shooting, including for autopsies, ballistic reports, the 911 calls, surveillance video, transcripts of the negotiations with Johnson and an inventory of what was seized from his home. Those requests were denied citing an ongoing investigation.

Michael Mata, president of the Dallas Police Association — the city’s largest police union, said the association is happy that the investigation is over, but noted it took a long time to go before a grand jury.

“It’s unfortunate that there was a loss of life, but the officers did their duty and were the utmost professionals,” he said. “We’re happy that the officers are able to move on with their careers and we’re happy that the justice system worked out as it is designed to do.”

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Why was was he charged in the first damn place? No, I didn't read the article. It's ridiculous that he was charged. He should have been promoted.

Honestly! Why in the world would they bring ANY charge against a policeman who killed a sniper that already killed others?

Channeling Dirty Harry in Magnum Force: Nothing wrong with blowing up, as long as the right people get blown up.

WTF?!!?!? I would say any way you kill a sniper, and save others is commendable!

I am a LEO in Dallas County. This is S.O.P. for any officer involved shooting incident here in our parts. Even in the most obvious of cases (like this), the D.A.'s office presents the case to the grand jury so the police and prosecutors can avoid the controversy of showing any kind of favoritism or bias in their investigation. Just the world we live in these days.

“A grand jury has declined to bring charges.....”

I hope the robot recovered quickly and returned to the force.

quote:

Originally posted by Flashlightboy:
I hope the robot recovered quickly and returned to the force.

I think this may have been the robotic equivalent of jumping on a grenade.

quote:

Originally posted by JALLEN:
“A grand jury has declined to bring charges.....”

So was this whole bit sort of a necessary formality? Was the prosecutor obligated in some way to bring this before the grand jury?

For a short while I remember someone selling shirts with a pic of the robot and an "employee of the month" banner. Dammit I should have bought one.

quote:

Originally posted by Flashlightboy:
I hope the robot recovered quickly and returned to the force.

This was around after it went down...

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:

quote:

Originally posted by JALLEN:
“A grand jury has declined to bring charges.....”

So was this whole bit sort of a necessary formality? Was the prosecutor obligated in some way to bring this before the grand jury?

From the article:

"District Attorney Faith Johnson, who has no relation to the gunman, noted that all police shootings are required to be examined by a grand jury."

Also mentioned later on. This was required and a formality...no charges were ever filed, it's unlikely there were ever going to be.

I think the title is just sensationalism. Grand Jury inquiries are common. The whole “no charges” thing is a shock joke headline for clicks.

Good ruling.

However, the article left out one pertinent fact. How is the robot?

The information that the case had to be presented to a grand jury was included in at least 3 posts.

Don’t folks read the threads?

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:
I think the title is just sensationalism. Grand Jury inquiries are common. The whole “no charges” thing is a shock joke headline for clicks.

Correct. It takes the decision making process out of an elected or appointed person's hands. The evidence is presented to a group of everyday citizens who decide to "no bill" or "true bill".

Charges? WTF?

They should give them all medals. And a parade too! Regards 18DAI

quote:

Originally posted by JALLEN:
The information that the case had to be presented to a grand jury was included in at least 3 posts.

Don’t folks read the threads?

Not when I'm trying to put a 22 month year old to bed at the same time I'm doing laundry, dishes, prepare my dinner, etc etc...

I only had time to quickly skim. Ah, yes, life is full of excuses when the wife is at work...