Military service changed the Dallas gunman from an extrovert into a hermit, his parents said in an interview excerpt published Monday. Micah Johnson’s mother, Delphine Johnson, told TheBlaze website in an interview that her son wanted to be a police officer as a child. His six years in the Army Reserve, including a tour in Afghanistan, were “not what Micah thought it would be ... what he thought the military represented, it just didn’t live up to his expectations.” She added: “He was very disappointed, very disappointed...He loved his country. He wanted to protect his country.” According to the military lawyer who represented him, Johnson was accused of sexually harassing a female soldier while deployed. His father, James Johnson said haltingly and through tears: “I don’t know what to say to anybody to make anything better. I didn’t see it coming.” The black 25-year-old fatally shot five officers in Thursday’s attack while hundreds of people were gathered in downtown Dallas to protest recent fatal police shootings, and wounded at least nine officers and two civilians. Johnson was killed with a bomb delivered by a police remote-controlled robot after a prolonged shoot-out and standoff with police. Authorities have said Johnson had plans for a larger assault, possessed enough explosive material to inflict far greater harm and kept a journal of combat tactics. Federal agents are trying to trace the origin of the weapons used by Johnson, including a military-style semi-automatic rifle. About 30 agents are involved in identifying bullet casings, said William Temple, the Dallas agent in charge for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Johnson’s time in the Army was marked by a sexual harassment accusation in May 2014 while in Afghanistan. The Army sent him stateside, recommending an “other than honourable discharge” — which is “highly unusual” because counselling is usually ordered before more drastic steps are taken, said Bradford Glendening, the military lawyer who represented him. “In his case, it was apparently so egregious, it was not just the act itself,” Glendening told The Associated Press. “I’m sure that this guy was the black sheep of his unit.” According to a court filing, the victim said she wanted Johnson to “receive mental help,” and sought a protective order to keep him away from her and her family. Johnson was ordered to avoid all contact with her. It was unclear whether Johnson ever received counselling.
