KDFW reported that protesters were chanting “Fuck the police” and “Black Lives Matter” prior to the shooting.
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Police arrested another suspect after a shootout with officers.
The shooting happened as otherwise mainly peaceful protests unfolded around the United States after the shooting of Philando Castile, 32, by police near St. Paul, Minnesota, late on Wednesday.
City Police Chief David Brown said two snipers shot at “police officers from elevated positions during the protest/rally”.
Dallas police say a suspect in shooting of officers at Dallas protests is in custody and a person of interest has surrendered.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said in a statement that “our thoughts and prayers go out to these officers and their families, and to those who have been injured”.
Police were not certain early Friday that all suspects have been located, Brown said.
“One police officer that was standing there pushed me out of the way because [the shooting] was coming [in] our direction”, the witness said.
Numerous officers could be seen crouching behind patrol cars.
Brown said Dallas police had contacted the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives “to help us search for both these suspects – or maybe it’s more – and to do a very thorough search of this area where we believe there might be a bomb planted”.
Television footage showed a heavy police presence, with officers taking cover behind vehicles on the street.
The gunshots in Dallas came amid protests nationwide over the recent police shootings. Some officers were shot in the back, he said.
The statement said three officers are deceased, two are in surgery and three are in critical condition.
Police say one rapid-transit officer has been killed and three injured when gunfire erupted during a protest in downtown Dallas. He cut short the hastily arranged news conference saying that he had to attend the scene of the attack as police had one of the suspects “cornered”. A suspicious package was discovered near that suspect’s location and the DPD bomb squad headed to the scene.
According to the Dallas police scanner, officers were looking for a light-skinned black male armed with AR-15 type rifle.
A Dallas Area Rapid Transit police officer receives comfort at the Baylor University Hospital emergency room entrance Thursday, July 7, 2016, in Dallas.
“It has been a devastating night”.
A further suspect was holed up in a garage and had been firing at police. Officers were out in force, wearing helmets, shields and holding assault weapons.
Police earlier had circulated a picture of a man in a camouflage T-shirt who carrying a long gun. They later added in a tweet that the person has ‘turned himself in’.
Video recorded by eyewitnesses at the time of the shooting showed what appeared to be the same individual walking on the street and not involved in the attack.
President Barack Obama, visiting Poland for a summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation defence alliance, has been briefed on the shooting.
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This story is developing, check back for updates.
