The parents of the now-deceased gunman responsible for a rampage in Dallas that killed five officers have broken their silence, detailing in an exclusive interview with The Blaze on Sunday how Micah Xavier Johnson's behavior changed after he was discharged from the U.S. Army in 2015.
Delphine Johnson, the 25-year-old's mother, detailed how she watched her son change from a happy, outgoing individual into a reclusive "hermit" after his approximately six-year service, which included a seven-month deployment to Afghanistan, The Blaze notes.
Micah Johnson's parents said that they did not remember any particular incident that might have caused the change, but they just knew that something had.
Delphine Johnson remembered a kid who wanted to become a police officer before getting involved with the military.
"He loved his country," Delphine Johnson said. "He wanted to protect his country."
However, the young soldier may have become disenchanted with the government and the military.
"The military was not what Micah thought it would be,” his mother said. “He was very disappointed, very disappointed. But it may be that the ideal that he thought of our government, what he thought the military represented, it just didn’t live up to his expectations.”
Family said that Micah Johnson never displayed any outward signs of hatred for white people. However, he did hate "injustice," Delphine Johnson said.
Micah Johnson's anger may have reached its tipping point following the officer-involved shootings of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, La., and Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minn.
"I don't know what to say to anybody to make anything better. I didn't see it coming," his father, James Johnson, said through tears. "I love my son with all my heart. I hate what he did."
The Blaze expects to show the full interview later this week. Here's an excerpt:
Read more at The Blaze.