A man suspected of carrying out a spectacular rampage in Texas was confirmed dead Saturday, after snipers shot him at the end of a stunning attack at Dallas police headquarters.
The suspect had allegedly planted several bombs and sprayed the headquarters and squad cars with gunfire during the assault in the sprawling city. No one else was killed, and police ruled out any connection to terrorism.
The night of violence began around 12:30 am (0530 GMT), when a man in an armored van rammed into police squad cars at the headquarters and the suspect opened fire.
Shots rang out from several different locations, leading police initially to believe multiple gunmen were involved, before they established the attacker was acting alone.
“We’re blessed that our officers survived this ordeal,” Dallas Police Chief David Brown said.
“There are bullet holes in squad cars where officers were sitting. There are bullet holes in the front lobby where staff was sitting.”
He described how the suspect had fired multiple shots at the police headquarters, pausing to reload and apparently using an assault rifle and a shotgun.
The suspect “meant to kill officers and took time to discharge that weapon multiple times to accomplish their wanting to harm our officers,” Brown added.
Shortly after, police chased the van to Hutchins, a nearby suburb south of the city, where officers surrounded the vehicle and more shots were traded. Several bullets hit police cars but, again, no officers were injured.
Officers tried to negotiate with the suspect, who gave his name as James Boulware, though police were not immediately able to confirm his identity.
Brown said there was no connection to terrorism and that the incident stemmed from an issue surrounding custody of the suspect’s child.
A man claiming to be the suspect’s father, Jimmy Lee Boulware, said his son felt “beaten down” by police and Child Protective Services over a custody battle with his son.
The elder Boulware, 73, also told CBS affiliate KTVT that James struggled to find and keep a good paying job due to his past criminal record.
Police have not yet provided a possible motive for the attack.
“He doesn’t show to be in our databases on any terrorism watch-list or anything like that,” Brown said. “So it may have just been a rant.”
