Dallas Shooter Who Killed 5 Officers Was Treated For PTSD Symptoms

Army veteran Micah Johnson complained of symptoms related to PTSD after serving in Afghanistan, but doctors concluded he posed no threat to himself or others.

The Army veteran who fatally shot five Dallas police officers during a peaceful march in July had been treated repeatedly for symptoms related to post-traumatic stress disorder, but doctors ultimately concluded he did not pose a serious risk to himself of others, according to health records obtained by the Associated Press.

Micah Johnson, 25, served at a base in Afghanistan after his unit arrived in November 2013, and returned nine months later, after which he complained of suffering from symptoms related to PTSD, including panic attacks, hallucinations, and uncontrollable anger, according to records obtained by the AP under the Freedom of Information Act.

However, doctors eventually determined in 2014 that Johnson was "not acutely at risk for harm to self or others," according to a medical record reviewed by the AP. The records also indicate that he was never officially diagnosed with PTSD.

Armed with an assault rifle on July 7, Johnson sought out and fired at officers during a peaceful march in downtown Dallas, killing five and injuring several others before he was killed in a barricade situation by a bomb-carrying robot.

Johnson, who enlisted in 2009, was sent back to the US in July 2014 after his tour in Afghanistan and given an honorable discharge. But he had acquired blemishes on his service record, including sexual harassment allegations by a fellow female soldier and findings by investigators that he had stolen prescription medication from another.

During the investigation, military officials confiscated his weapons.

Bradford Glendening, the attorney who represented Johnson, told the New York Times that the female soldier who reported the alleged sexual harassment suggested he receive "mental help" and sought a protective order against him.

Johnson did see a psychiatrist and was further evaluated for his PTSD symptoms in September 2014, but AP reported that the physician noted the former reservist's mood was "better."

In October 2014, Johnson requested to postpone further evaluation because he was busy remodeling his mother's house, according to records reviewed by the AP.

His mother, Delphine Johnson, told The Blaze that "the military was not what Micah thought it would be" and that he was "very disappointed, very disappointed."

After the shootings on July 7, Dallas Police Chief David Brown said Johnson had told authorities during the standoff that he was upset about recent police-involved shootings and "wanted to kill white people, especially white officers."

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