We begin with a country in mourning. New details about the sniper responsible for killing five Police Officers in dallas. The shooter may have been sent home from afghanistan amid troubling allegations and there are signs he showed interest in the black power movement. All this as memorials are growing and protesters are taking to the streets. Also today, president obama be made a powerful plea for calm. We have all the angles covered and we begin with Gabe Guttierez in dallas. Reporter before he was slaught slaughter, my my came skroen son was described as a loner. Investigators say he had grown upset at the plaqblack lives matter group. One gunman with no known links or inspiration from any International Terrorist organization. Reporter also new details about his time as an army reservest. His lawyer said accuser requested a protective order. But military sources say that despite the allegations, johnson was not convicted of any criminal offense and received an honorable it discharge in april of last year. His lawyer wasnt sure why but said it could have happened because johnsons Service Contract expired. Now investigators are piecing together his digital trail after finding bomb making materials, vests and a personal journal of combat tactics at the home of his mother. In downtown dallas, several city blocks remain shut down as authorities scour the crime scene where a protest turned into panic. I heard six shots. Damon credits officers with helping save his life. Theyre part of the city. Nobody wants to see cops die. Outside the Police Department its tough any time you lose someone. Really tough any time someone is taken from you. A texas size tribute. Were all human here. I think that people feel each others pain. Thats what makes you hopeful. That we can move from senselessness to something that has redemption and hope in it. This is clearly a city still on edge. We have breaking developments outside dallas. There had been an expanding security presence after authorities received a threat earlier today gns Law Enforcement personnel throughout the city. A s. W. A. T. Team has searched a parking garage next to the police headquarters, but there is late word tonight that no suspect has been found. Kristen. Gabe, thank you for tracking those breaking developments. And were also learning more tonight about those killed. The five Police Officers gunned down as they were guarding a peaceful protest. We get more on that tonight from joe fryer. Officer Patrick Zamarripa didnt just die serving his community, he lived serving it. His mom and dad have no shortage of pride. He was a good kid. Wasnt fair his life was taken. From a young age zamarripa knew he wanted to be a cop. Before he joined the Dallas Police force he joined the navy. In iraq, came back without a scratch and lost his life in the homeland by one of his own. When his family heard news of the shooting thursday night they were worried. He was crying and i said dont cry hell be okay. No. No. Because patrick would have already called me and said dad im okay. When you didnt hear from patrick, you had an idea, right . I instantly knew. I had a gut feeling. Most of my gut feelings are all right. And it was. Unfortunately. Reporter in all, five officers lost their lives. Senior Corporal Lorne ahrens whose wife is a detective in the department. Michael smith spent nearly three decades on the force. Michael krol a michigan native who moved to pursue his dream of becoming a policeman. Brent thompson who married an officer just two weeks ago and zamarripa a fun loving guy married with a stepson and 2yearold daughter. For her sake the family hopes dallas will build a memorial to honor the fallen officers. Lyncoln would say that was my daddy when she grows up. She will have at least something. Thats the most important thing. For now, a temporary memorial continues to grow outside of the Police Department. In addition to the five Police Officers who were killed, nine other people were injured including seven officers, most have been treated and released from the hospital. Kristen. Joe fryer, thank you for that. President obama spoke out about this weeks violence again today and he called the dallas shooter a demented individual saying he doesnt represent the rest of the country and also reflected on what the unrest might mean for his own legacy. Ron allen is travel wgt thing with the president in europe. Reporter president obama will head home a day early. This has been a tough week. Reporter in the next few days to dallas. There is sorrow. There is anger, there is confusion about next steps. But theres unity in recognizing that this is not how we want our communities to operate. Minneapolis. Baton rouge. Dallas. Demanding mr. Obamas attention from the moment he arrived. As legitimate concerns about racial issues and policing while responding to critics accusing of not backing americas cops. When people say black lives matter, it means all lives matter. Reporter still struggling to bridge americas divide asking the country to keep recent deadly shootings in perspective. The demented individual who carried out those attacks in dallas is no more representative of africanamericans than the shooter in charleston was representative of white americans or the shooter in orlando or San Bernardino were representative of muslim americans. Reporter well aware of the criticism he may provoke, president obama said tighter gun laws would help. Im not going to stop talking about it because if we dont talk about it were not going to solve these underlying problems. Its part of the problem. Reporter from a stage thousands of miles away the president trying to pull america together. As painful as this week has been i firmly believe that america is not as divided as some have suggested. Reporter the president adding along with his trip to dallas hell convene meetings at the white house trying to ease the tension existing between americas Police Departments and the communities they serve. Ron allen, thank you. As for the president ial candidates donald trump and Hillary Clinton toned down their heated rhetoric at least for now and as the Republican National convention approaches in over a week, the city of cleveland is taking added precautions. We have more on that tonight. Reporter just nine days out from the Gop ConventionCleveland Police now planning to tighten security after the shootings in dallas. A lot of people will be there. Everybody is worried about what could happen. Reporter the citys chief promising enough officers already in case of violence. The events in dallas heightened everyones awareness. Reporter after a spring that saw plenty and a summer ahead that has many holding their breath. Where we are right now is a country looking for a sense of equilibrium. Do we turn to our politicians for that. Politicians havent provided that. All they provided was a lot of pablum. Donald trump accused of contributing with his comments about muslims and mexicans. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists. Reporter now a notably more inclusive tone. We must stand in solidarity with Law Enforcement which we must remember is the force between civilization and total chaos. Also make clear how much more work we have to do to make every american feel that their safety has been protected. There is too alis too little too many places with police and communities. Both candidates holding their fire in a Political Climate thats become a tinderbox. Hally jackson, nbc news, washington. And undoubtedly continue to dominate the conversation this coming week. Well have more tomorrow morning on meet the press. Tensions remain high in minnesota and louisiana where the Police Involved shootings of black men this week inspired the protests targeted by the dallas sniper. Blake mccoy is following developments in the earlier shootings and has our report tonight. Reporter minnesotas governor meeting with the family of Philando Castile as protesters remain outside the mansion gates. He was shot and killed by police wednesday. The aftermath streamed live on facebook by his girlfriend. He had a firearm and reaching for his wallet. For the first time were hearing from the officer who fired. Geronimo yanez is on paid leave and rejects claims race played a role. This is a tragic incident brought about by the officer having to react to the actions taken by mr. Castile. This case has nothing to do with race. And everything to do with the presence of a gun. In the video castiles girlfriend says they warned the officer he had a firearm and license to carry. I would like for that Police Officer to look me in my eyes, look me in my eyes officer, my hands are up. Why . No justice, no peace. Reporter in baton rouge, louisiana overnight tense moments when up to 1,000 protesters stared down police over the death of another black man, that shooting partially caught on video this week. At one point during last nights protest an officer appeared to draw his gun. Baton rouge police say they are reviewing the video. They acknowledge tensions were high but cooler heads prevailed. President obama today did reference the gun in the car here in minnesota saying even though it was licensed, the prevalence of guns in america makes all of us less safe. He says it adds to tensions between police and the public. That debate heating up. Blake, thank you for that report. After this weeks shootings thousands of demonstrators have continued to take to the streets marching against violence of all kinds. Most have been peaceful aimed at creating a dialogue between the police and communities. A small number of protests boiled over putting police on constant guard. We have more on that tonight. In demonstrations across the country anger is mounting. Hands up. Dont shoot. [ bleep ] pigs. Reporter police on high alert as violence continues to erupt. Last night in phoenix after hours of a peaceful march a small group sparking chaos. Rocks and bricks thrown. Chases. Takedowns and arrests. Crowds doused with pepper spray causing what looked like a stampede. In rochester new york, 74 people led away in cuffs. Its an awful time in american policing at this moment and one that were going to have to be in together to move through. Reporter Police Departments across the nation speaking out. It is a symbol of a breakdown of something that has occurred within our society. Reporter so far this year ambushes and fatal shootings of police are up 44 . One Law Enforcement officer is killed somewhere in america every 61 hours. Thats 144 Law Enforcement professionals killed in the line of duty each year on average for the last decade. Reporter hours after the tragedy in dallas an officer was ambushed and shot in georgia. The day before in tennessee another officer was shot and wounded during a deadly spree. Police are now pairing up out on patrol. In denver the police union is calling for riot gear to protect against attacks like the one in dallas while the chief says in these Turbulent Times they dont want to escalate tensions. I dont anticipate us having riot gear. Reporter Police Holding a fine line of vigilance, many in mourning and still trying to keep the peace. Gadi schwartz, nbc news, los angeles. Some stunning statistics there. Still ahead, Severe Weather, the deadly storms and flooding leading to a state of emergency. Also, on top of her game. Serena williams goes all the way at wimbledon. And were back with another developing story tonight, Severe Weather in several states in the south, especially in tennessee, where three people have been killed. Morgan radford has the latest. Reporter severe flooding across tennessee, still under a state of emergency after water rescues earlier this week. Overnight strong winds sent debris flying and uprooted trees, killing three people. Leaving many homes damaged, residents shaken. It was bad. It was bad. It was really scary. I was like, can we stay like far away from anywhere where a tree could fall. Just anywhere. Reporter winds slamming this shredded roof into a Dollar General store. And lightning filled the sky. This as cleanup crews scramble to repair the damage in neighboring north carolina, where a tree crushed this car. And uprooted a home in charlotte, where up to 40,000 were left without power. I lost power a little bit here and there, but for minutes. But for this long and this serious, ive never seen it before. Reporter in kentucky, downed trees and wind damage. The deadly storm system now headed north. Morgan radford, nbc news, new york. And when we come back well take you to a museum where some visitors are actually invited to touch the displays. This was the scene at wimbledon today where it was victory all the way for serena williams. She won her long awaited 22nd grand slam title at the womens single final. Serenas win puts her even with steffi graf for the most major championships in the open era. And if that werent enough, she went on to went the doubles with her sister, venus. What a moment. Most museums were told to keep our hands to ourselves. But a museum in philadelphia is inviting the visually impaired to experience ancient history with a hands on tour. Anne thompson has our report. Reporter this should get them kicked out. These museum goers are actually encouraged to touch. My hands, i would say are my eyes for the most part. Reporter the fingers tom smith uses to play jazz on the piano are taking him to ancient egypt. If you could reach up here youll feel a pattern. Reporter as he and other visually impaired people explore the priceless artifacts in the penn museum on a touch tour. What do you feel when you touch the paw . Very, very massive, strong powerful paws. Hes ready to actually pounce. Reporter all of this is done under the watchful eyes of museum officials. Jewelry is removed, hands are wiped clean. And with their voices, docents fill in the parts of the story the fingers of the visually impaired cannot fathom. Your hands dont pick up as much detail as your eyes would. It can be disconcerting and confusing. Now that theyve clued me in i can identify what im touching. Her legs are together. Reporter these touch tours are the brainchild of trish mounder, an art teacher and mother of katey, who is blind. I wanted to go to museums. I wanted to have my daughter to be able to see what inspired me with my life. Reporter for the guides, its a rare chance to touch the artifacts as well and see what their eyes miss. When we touch the sphinx a first time, a blind man could feel the ribs on the side of the lion, i never noticed it. He taught me that. Reporter an exchange of ideas, bringing the past to the present with the power of touch. Anne thompson, nbc news, philadelphia. What a powerful idea that is. Up next, well go back to dallas, a city where small acts of kindness are helping a grieving community heal. Finally tonight, with flowers, with words and with hugs, the people of dallas are showing the world tonight that they wont be defeated by one mans hate. Jacob rascon on how kindness is winning out. Reporter its written all over their faces. How could this happen here . We need support. We need love. Not violence. Reporter kim didnt know any of the officers, or protesters. My heart goes out to the africanamerican community. Because i cannot imagine what they go through on a daily basis. And my heart also goes out to the Police Officers. When they talked about the guy saying he hated Police Officers and white Police Officers, his whole thing was just based on hate. Reporter that bothers you . Yeah. Because we should just love one another. Reporter for kim, simply talking about love is not enough. I hope a day does not go by that you know youre appreciated and loved. Reporter what do you make of the support from people who generally dont know you personally . Its overwhelming. You dont get this every day. People just dont tell us that they appreciate us. Its overwhelming. Reporter hundreds have left flowers and notes. We bleed blue wrote one family. God bless you all wrote another. These are all people in our city who wanted to thank the policemen for sacrificing their lives to keep us safe. Reporter the outpouring of support from friends and strangers, all over town. As hate takes a back seat to humanity. Jacob rascon, nbc news, dallas. And that is resilience. Thats nbc nightly news for this saturday. Im Kristen Welker reporting from new york. From all of us here at nbc news, have a good night. Nbc bay area news begins with breaking news. And that breaking news in vallejo where a woman is mission after being kidnapped and held for ransom. Four suspects were arrested in the case overnight, but none of them will tell investigators where the victim is. Nbc bay areas Marianne Favro live in vallejo tonight, and i understand the fbi is now getting involved. Reporter and the u. S. Martials, peggy. We just finished a press conference with the vallejo Police Department and say the victim was kidnapped back on july 1st and now its a race against time to try to tell her. They say 57yearold elvira babb was kidnapped from her heim in vallejo. On july 1st her son received a text message asking for money, less than six figures in exchange for the safe return of his mother. When her son went to his mothers home on daniels avenue, he found she was missing and her dog was dead. Now police are asking for the publics help finding her. The victim has been gone for over a week, so it causes us some deep concern obviously. Were hopeful that well be able to locate her alive. Reporter Police ArrestedEmanuel Espinoza and also