Have photos of the dead body of Dallas sniper been leaked? Images posted online appear to show cop killer Micah Johnson moments after he was taken out by police robot

Leaked images appear to show Dallas gunman Micah Johnson after he was killed by a remote controlled robotic bomb.

The Dallas police department have since defended their decision to use a 'mechanical tactical robot' after Johnson killed five officers at a Black Lives Matter protest on Thursday, saying it was a 'last resort'.

The gruesome photographs appear to show Johnson's lifeless body protected by an armored vest, along with a semi-automatic rifle among the rubble at a college parking lot where he was cornered.

Leaked images appear to show Dallas gunman Micah Johnson (left) along with a semi-automatic rifle among the rubble after he was killed by a remote controlled robotic bomb in a parking lot at El Centro College

+1

The Dallas police department have since defended their decision to use a bomb after Johnson killed five officers at a Black Lives Matter protest on Thursday, saying it was a 'last resort'

Johnson, from Mesquite, Texas, a 20-minute drive from Dallas, was an Army reservist who told police he was upset about the recent police shootings of black suspects. 

Johnson reportedly fired from an 'elevated position', picking off officers 'ambush style,' Dallas Police Chief David Brown said. 'Some officers were shot in the back,' he added. 

Cops cornered Johnson at El Centro College at around 11pm on Thursday and attempted to negotiate, but four hours later the talks failed and a robot was brought in to detonate a bomb and kill the suspect.  

The photos of what may be Johnson's bloodied body, which an anonymous source handed over to lawyer and author Mike Cernovich, show he was wearing an armored vest.

Another photograph submitted by an anonymous source was published on the gun website The Arms Guide, which claims the Saiga semi-automatic rifle had a 30-round magazine. 

The police department's unprecedented use of a robotic explosive raised questions regarding the ethics of how they responded to a suspect who was already cornered. 

'When all attempts to negotiate with the suspect, Micah Johnson, failed under the exchange of gunfire, the department utilized the mechanical tactical robot, as a last resort, to deliver an explosion device to save the lives of officers and citizens,' a police statement read.

Chief Brown defended his decision to use the robot, telling CNN: 'I approved it and would do it again if presented with the same circumstances.

'I appreciate critics, but they’re not on the ground and their lives are not at risk.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk