Parents of Dallas Courthouse Shooter Brian Clyde Believe He Wanted to Be Killed

The family of Brian Clyde spoke for the first time publicly Wednesday about his attack on Dallas' Earle Cabell Federal Building, saying they believe his real intent was to be killed.Clyde, 22, was fatally shot in an exchange of gunfire Monday morning with federal officers. No one else was seriously injured.Clyde's stepmother, 42-year-old Heather Clyde, said Wednesday outside the family's home that the family believes he went to the federal building so the police would kill him. "That's our feeling. He knew there had been a shooting down there. He knew it was a well-armed area," Heather Clyde said.But she said they didn't see warning signs. The family was only starting to reconnect because Clyde had been in college and prior to that, the military. "There was no indication," she said. "It's just like hearing [about] a stranger. Like when you watch the news. It's not even near the surface of who the Brian we knew was."Clyde didn't join the family for Father's Day. He said he wasn't up for the drive from Fort Worth to Plano. The last thing he said to his father, Paul Clyde, was a message that said. "Happy Father's Day, Daddy." And he made a goofy face in the message because he said "Daddy" instead of "Dad," his stepmother said.On Tuesday, the family had released a written statement saying they are "stunned and devastated" and asked for peace to mourn their loss."The Brian we knew was kind, a gentle soul, and funny," the statement said. "We don't understand any more than anyone else why he chose to do what he did, but we are very thankful that there was no other loss of life."The shootingAt 8:37 a.m. Monday, Clyde left his car, a 2003 Nissan Altima, at the southeast corner of Jackson and South Griffin streets and began firing at the south side of the Earle Cabell Federal Building.A minute later, Dallas Morning News photographer Tom Fox took a photo of Clyde as he stopped at the southwest corner of the federal building to pick up an ammunition magazine he had dropped.Seconds later, Clyde ran toward the Jackson Street entrance and shot at the glass doors.  Continue reading...