Anti-cop shooting rampage
Man with murder machine slain by police
A Texas man planted shrapnelfilled pipe bombs around the Dallas Police Department’s headquarters and then opened fire on cops in a midnight blitz the police chief said was “meant to kill us.”
The violence ended 13 hours later, after a police chase and a standoff in a suburban parking lot, when a lawenforcement sniper fatally wounded the attacker inside his explosivesladen armored van.
During brief phone rants to 911 operators, the shooter identified himself as James Boulware, 35, though authorities on Saturday could not confirm his ID.
The man — who bitterly blamed cops after losing custody of his son — was found inside the black van, along with two pipe bombs, at about 2 p.m.
Miraculously, no one was hurt in the ordeal, during which officers exchanged gunfire with the deranged man at least twice.
The violence began at 12:30 a.m. when the suspect planted the explosives and opened fire on cops at the police headquarters in downtown Dallas.
He sprayed bullets at the lobby and parked squad cars, shattering windows and even hitting the second floor — and sending cops scrambling for cover.
The gunman sped off, ramming a police car. Police chased the van and cornered it in a fastfood parking lot, where the suspect refused to leave the vehicle. He then flung open the doors and opened fire on officers, who returned fire.
At some point, the gunman called 911, launching into a tirade against cops he claimed “took his child and accused him of being a terrorist,” authorities said.
Dallas cops, tracing his 911 calls to a cellphone, began onandoff negotiations with the shooter, who remained holed up in the van and surrounded by a SWAT team.
At about 4:30 a.m., a sniper shot out the van’s engine block, disabling the vehicle. A half hour later, a sniper’s bullet pierced the windshield and struck the gunman.
Cops waited hours, without any response from the suspect, and sent in a robot to confirm he was dead, ending the standoff at 2 p.m.
At least two pipe bombs were later found at the Jack Evans Police Headquarters building on South Lamar Street, including one tucked underneath a patrol car.
“We’re blessed that our officers survived that ordeal,” Dallas Police Chief David Brown said. “There are bullet holes in the front lobby where our staff was sitting . . . The second floor has bullets in it.
“We believe this suspect meant to kill us,” the chief said.
Officers combing the HQ parking lot nearly tripped over one of the explosive devices. When it was later removed by a bombsquad robot, it instantly exploded, authorities said.
Boulware has a history of domestic violence. He had been accused of threatening the judges overseeing his cases but there was no hint of the coming rampage.
“We still don’t see an indication that he was planning this type of assault,” Brown said.
Boulware’s father saw his son Friday night and told the Dallas Morning News he saw no hint of the forthcoming drama.
“He blames the police for taking his son away from him,” Jim Boulware told the paper.
Boulware was arrested two years ago in Paris, Texas, after he allegedly bought weapons, ammo and body armor and threatened to go after his family, churches and schools, the Dallas Morning News reported. The case was eventually dismissed, the paper said.