*At least 11 police officers and 1 civilian have been shot in Dallas.*Officials said two snipers carried out an “ambush-style” attack.*Police are negotiating with one suspect who is still exchanging gunfire with them. *Gunfire first broke out during a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest.
Snipers shot and killed four police officers “ambush-style” after a Black Lives Matter protest in Dallas Thursday night, according to Dallas police. At least seven other police officers and one civilian were also injured in the shooting.
Dallas Police Chief David Brown said early Friday morning three suspects were in custody and police were still in negotiations with another suspect, who was being uncooperative and at times exchanging gunfire with officers in a parking garage.
“He told negotiators that the end is coming, and he is going to hurt and kill more of us,” Brown said at a press conference, noting the man had also claimed there were bombs around the structure. “We are being very careful in our tactics so that we don’t injure any of our officers in harm’s way.”
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings added that downtown Dallas would still be considered “an active crime scene” going into Friday, and urged people to check the city’s news updates on which areas to avoid. The FAA also temporarily instituted a temporary flight restriction over the area.
Police said earlier in the night that one suspect had been taken into custody following a shootout with Dallas SWAT officers, and the bomb squad was securing a “suspicious package” found near him. A “person of interest” whose photo DPD had initially circulated turned himself in, according to the department. All signs pointed to the demonstration having been peaceful throughout the evening. The DPD Twitter account included posts about “men, women, boys and girls” gathered in solidarity, while other photos show officers posing with marchers, including a state senator.
Dramatic video of the shooting shows dozens of officers converging on several buildings in downtown Dallas, including a parking garage. In another, several shotscan be heard ringing out as sirens blare in the background.
Rev. Jeff Hood, an organizer of the rally, told the Dallas Morning News he was at the front of the protest with an officer before he heard “what sounded like six to eight shots.” “I saw people scramble,” Hood said. “The officer ran towards the shots, I ran away from the shots trying to get people off the streets, and I was grabbing myself to see if I was shot.” 
Mayor Rawlings said it was “heartbreaking” to lose the four officers. “To say that our police officers put the life on the line everyday is no hyperbole, it is a reality,” he said in the press conference early Friday morning. “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. Words matter. Leadership matters at this time.”
In a statement, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said his thoughts and prayers were with the victims, and added, “In times like these we must remember ― and emphasize ― the importance of uniting as Americans.” Earlier Thursday, hundreds had gathered in cities across the country to protest the recent police shootings of Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old killed outside a convenience store in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Philando Castile, who was shot during a traffic stop in Minnesota.
Rev. Jeff Hood, an organizer of the rally, told the Dallas Morning News he was at the front of the protest with an officer before he heard “what sounded like six to eight shots.” “I saw people scramble,” Hood said. “The officer ran towards the shots, I ran away from the shots trying to get people off the streets, and I was grabbing myself to see if I was shot.” 
Mayor Rawlings said it was “heartbreaking” to lose the four officers. “To say that our police officers put the life on the line everyday is no hyperbole, it is a reality,” he said in the press conference early Friday morning. “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. Words matter. Leadership matters at this time.”
In a statement, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said his thoughts and prayers were with the victims, and added, “In times like these we must remember ― and emphasize ― the importance of uniting as Americans.” Earlier Thursday, hundreds had gathered in cities across the country to protest the recent police shootings of Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old killed outside a convenience store in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Philando Castile, who was shot during a traffic stop in Minnesota.
Demonstrators were carrying signs and chanting “no justice no peace” and “hands up, don’t shoot” ― common refrains of the Black Lives Matter movement against police brutality.
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