How did the Dallas gunman get hold of an armoured van described as a 'Zombie apocalypse assault vehicle'?
The Facebook advert for the van described it as capable of 'drive-by mow-downs'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.As a barrage of bullets sprayed out of a dark blue van used to stage a brazen assault on Dallas police headquarters early on Saturday morning, even witnesses recognized this was no ordinary form of transportation.
The beast of a van — sold just days ago — eerily lived up to how it was advertised on Facebook, on which it was touted as a "Zombie apocalypse assault vehicle" with "gun ports" capable of "drive-by mow-downs" and full armour and bulletproof windows "just in case someone might try to take this bad boy from you."
Investigators suspect the van might have belonged to a sheriff's office in Georgia before it was decommissioned and sold off. It was most recently sold by Jenco Sales out of Georgia. The business owner could not be reached for comment.
The Ford van was sold on eBay for $8,250. At one point — even when there were no competing offers — that bidder increased the offer from $6,000 to $7,000, and then to $8,000.
The van held up in what Dallas police Chief David Brown described as the "helter skelter" shootout at police headquarters, but he noted the vehicle was not invincible.
"Our Swat snipers shot out the engine block of the suspect vehicle with our .50-caliber sniper rifle," he said.
The van was stopped and later set ablaze, ending the public safety nightmare. But law enforcement sources say there are more of these vehicles still for sale online.
Copyright WFAA-TV Dallas-Fort Worth/USA Today
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments