So far 11 officers shot, 3 dead after attack at Dallas protest
The Dallas Police Department tweeted an image of a man they said was one of the suspects and asked the public for help in finding him. The photo is of an African-American man wearing a camouflage T-shirt and carrying what appears to be a rifle. Texas is an open carry state, which means it is legal for those with permits to openly carry weapons.
[Breaking news update 12:08 a.m. ET]
Eleven police officers have been shot in Dallas, according to city police Chief David Brown. Three officers have died: one DART officer and two Dallas police officers, Brown said.
[Breaking news update 12:05 a.m. ET]
Police have cornered a suspect in a commercial garage after the shootings of 11 police officers near the end of a protest in Dallas over shootings by police of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota, police Chief David Brown told reporters. The chief said at least two snipers in elevated positions fired "ambush style" on the officers. "Some (were) shot in the back." There also is a search for a possible bomb in the area, Brown said. "This is a very emotional time for our department and the law enforcement community across the country," Brown said. Officials asked the public's help in identifying suspects.
Dallas Protest
[Previous story posted at 11:58 p.m. ET]
Multiple police officers have been killed during a protest in Dallas over shootings by police of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota.
Three Dallas police officers were killed and eight others were wounded, Dallas Police Chief David Brown and the City of Dallas said in separate statements.
One Dallas Area Rapid Transit officer was fatally shot, the agency tweeted.
It's not clear if Brown included the DART officers in his tally.
Brown said two snipers shot the 10 from elevated positions during a protest. Two officers are in surgery and three are in critical condition. No suspects were in custody.
Three other DART officers were also shot. Their injuries are not considered life-threatening, DART said.
'Everyone was screaming'
The shooting happened as protests were underway about two blocks from Dealey Plaza. Video showed the crowd suddenly sprinting away.
CNN affiliate KTVT reported that two Dallas officers were shot. CNN could not immediately confirm that information and it's not clear if they were referring to the DART officers.
Witness Clarissa Myles said she was eating at McDonalds when the chaos began.
"Everyone was screaming, people were running," she said. "I saw at least probably 30 shots go off."
"I was walking next to the officer who was helping with the protest, all of a sudden I saw six to eight shots," one witness told the station. "It looked like two officers went down."
Another witness who was at the protest told the station he heard multiple gunshots.
"Whoever was shooting had an assault rifle — and I know guns. The shots were in rapid succession," the witness said.
Video showed numerous police officers crouching behind vehicles. Others approached a location holding protective shields.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Dallas law enforcement community and the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) officers killed and injured this evening," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement following the shooting. "In times like this we must remember -- and emphasize -- the importance of uniting as Americans."
Protests across the country
The shootings occurred as Americans across the nation vented their anger over the police killings of two black men in two days.
They chanted outside the governor's residence in St. Paul, Minnesota, miles from the spot where an officer killed Philando Castile in a car on Wednesday while a 4-year-old girl sat in the back seat.
Crowds milled in the streets outside the convenience store in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, whereAlton Sterling was fatally shot while police grappled with him in a parking lot Tuesday.
Protesters briefly shut down the Dan Ryan Expressway in Chicago. In New York, 1,000 people marched down Fifth Avenue and a few scuffled with police officers.
They all came out to vent their rage at yet more slayings of black men at the hands of police officers.
"We are targets!" LaRhonda Talley said in an impassioned speech in Minnesota about the danger of being black in America. "We made it across the (Atlantic). We made it to freedom and you're still killing us. You're still hanging us from trees. You're still killing us! Our lives matter!"
http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/07/us/philando-castile-alton-sterling-reaction/
