WASHINGTON — A sergeant who supervised Micah Johnson, the man who killed five Dallas police officers in July, told the Army that his gun should be taken from him in 2014 because he posed a potential threat, according to an Army investigation released Wednesday.
The report, finished in May 2014, was conducted after a female soldier complained that Johnson had sexually harassed her while they were stationed in Afghanistan and that he had stolen her underwear. Johnson knew the woman for years, and during a disagreement she recalled that he punched his hand through a car window and cut himself so badly he need to be taken to a hospital.
“The (first sergeant) told me we needed to separate” Johnson and the female soldier “as soon as possible,” the report said. “I asked if for safety reasons we should relieve [PFC] Johnson of his firearm and any bladed weapons in his possession. The (first sergeant) said that was a good idea so I had [redacted] retrieve all weapons.”
Johnson had been sent back to the United States following the incident in Afghanistan and given a less than honorable discharge.
Investigators wrote that they also inspected Johnson’s personal belongings on May 18, 2014, and found an M169 grenade round and a plastic bag filled with prescription medicine belonging to another soldier.
Johnson killed five Dallas police officers on July 7 as the police were providing security for a demonstration against police violence. Local police used a robot armed with a bomb to kill Johnson.
Click here to read more about the Army’s report detailing the decision to relieve the PFC Johnson of his firearm and any bladed weapons in his possession.
