Eleven Dallas Police Officers Shot During Black Lives Protest; Five Dead

A pair of gunmen shot eleven police officers in Dallas Texas, Dallas Police Chief David Brown confirmed. Two snipers shot police officers from elevated positions. A once peaceful Black Lives Matter rally was hijacked by the shooters. 4 suspects are now in custody and five police officers are dead.

Three officers were in surgery in critical condition. The two snipers began to shoot at about 8:45 pm CST. A total of eleven officers were shot, as were two civilians. Dallas police say the 2 snipers coordinated their shots, with a large kill zone, only targeting police officers. Police believe that five suspects were involved in the shootings, and one is dead following a late night standoff.

Police cornered one suspect at El Centro in Dallas. Chief Brown said last night he had one suspect cornered in a parking garage and exchanging fire at 12:30 PM with police, telling police negotiators that he has "planted bombs all over the place" and "the end is coming." Police ultimately shot that suspect.

Some, but not all suspects are in custody, says police chief Brown. He says the suspects, three of whom are now in custody, were all working together. 2 were arrested in cars and two in parking garages. They are not being cooperative in revealing their motives, Chief Brown said.

The 3 in custody will face justice, police say, for killing four officers. Some police were shot in the back. It is unusual for the perpetrators of mass shootings to be taken into custody, indicating that perhaps these men want to make a political statement

A police source said two snipers shot police from elevated positions, one of which was a parking garage. Of the four dead policemen, one is a DART transit police officer. Police released the photo of a person of interest, which is the top photo in this story. They now say this man has turned himself in. He is no longer a suspect.

The shooting occurred at the end of a peaceful protest against police killings in the aftermath of the shooting deaths of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling. DART service in downtown Dallas has been suspended. ATF officers are on scene, as are US Marshalls.

Mayor Mike Rawlings says the area is "still an active crimescene, and we ask you to stay away from buildings on http://www.dallascitynews.net. Check your traffic routes in the morning before you come in. It is a heartbreaking morning, our police officers put their lives on the line every day. We as a City we as a Country must come together, lock arms and heal the wounds that we all feel from time to time."

Two shooters opened fire on police near Belo Garden Park at around 8:45 p.m. A bystander reported hearing "50 to 75 shots". Reports stated that one shooter shot at the police from an alleyway, while another fired from the upper level of a parking building. According to the Dallas Police Chief David Brown, both shooters used sniper rifles, and a bomb may have been planted in downtown Dallas.

It appears that at least one suspect was taken into custody after a shootout with police. Dallas police searched for and apprehended both suspects and defused a possible bomb. Police sources say the shooting appears to have been pre-planned.

Protestors attending the rally began to ran after they heard shots fired. A total of fifty or 60 rounds were fired, which they could see ricochet off the pavement.

There will be time for analysis later. But this shooting is undoubtedly the biggest news story so far this summer. People on America's streets feel unrepresented, and those that would do harm are taking advantage of the situation. This is the worst outbreak of racial violence in America since the 1992 race riots following the Rodney King beating.

Social Media streamed the Minnesota Castile shooting, including his death. Then social media informed people of the protest rally in Dallas. After the shooting of the officers, again people took to social media.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) has confirmed that four Transit Police officers were shot in Dallas. Three are injured and expected to recover; one DART officer has died.

TV news showed footage of protestors ran from the shooting, which sounded like automatic gunfire. It occurred just before sunset in Dallas, say 8 pm PST

Police negotiated with a second Dallas shooter said KDFW Dallas. There is nothing to suggest that there are any hostages, or any danger to the public in downtown Dallas.

Several hundred people gathered at Belo Garden Park in Dallas, and marched to the Old Red Courthouse near Main and Market streets, where the rally ended just before the shots rang out nearby at about 9 p.m.

There is no word on whether any civilians have been shot. Police have not released information on any possible suspects in the shooting. DART public transportation service is suspended in downtown due to police activity.

Protests and vigils were held in cities across the country Thursday following the controversial police killings of two black men in separate incidents over two days this week.

In Saint Paul, Minnesota, a crowd estimated to be more than a thousand strong gathered outside a school where one of those men killed, Philando Castile, worked as a kitchen supervisor.

Castile was fatally shot by a police officer in a suburban city during a traffic stop, and video showing him wounded and slumped over in his car evoked nationwide outrage.

In Minnesota, the Governor says race played a role in the killing. The Castile killing video opens with blood already soaking through the driver's shirt, and the police officer who shot him cursing, his gun still pointed at the dying man. Everyone in the country has seen it. Passions are inflamed on this July night.

The shootings took place as a rally and march in downtown was ending that showed solidarity for communities affected by officer-involved shootings this week in Louisiana and Minnesota.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Dallas_police_shooting