Update:
A fifth police officer has died from injuries, the Dallas Police Department has confirmed.
In a further update, KXAS is reporting that one of the suspected snipers has been “neutralized,” after the suspect threatened the “end is coming” for police officers.
The original story continues below:
Multiple Dallas police officers have been killed and injured during a protest after two snipers opened fire on Thursday, July 7.
Dallas police chief David Brown said in a statement that at least two snipers shot 11 officers from “elevated positions” near Dealey Plaza during a protest over police-involved shootings earlier this week that resulted in the deaths of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota.
Four officers are dead, two officers are in surgery and three who were injured are in critical condition. “Some officers were shot in the back,” Brown added during a press conference, and he told reporters that they believed a bomb may have been hidden somewhere downtown.
An intensive search is under way for the suspects, and the Dallas Police Department tweeted out a photo on Thursday night of a person of interest who was seen wearing camouflage and holding a rifle. “This is one of our suspects. Please help us find him!” the police department captioned the pic.
https://twitter.com/DallasPD/status/751262719584575488
The Associated Press reports that gunfire broke out at about 8:45 p.m. as protesters marched along a downtown street.
“Everyone was screaming, people were running,” witness Clarissa Myles told KTVT. “I saw at least, probably, 30 shots go off.”
https://twitter.com/allisongriz/status/751234755882995713
The shootings occurred at a peaceful protest over the police shootings of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Tuesday, and Philando Castile in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Wednesday during a traffic stop.
In the early hours of Friday morning, Dallas PD tweeted that the person of interest whose picture was circulated on Twitter had turned himself in.
Police say that a suspicious package discovered near the suspect’s location was being secured by the bomb squad.
In another press conference just before 2 a.m. ET, Dallas mayor Mike Rawlings and police chief Brown said that they now have three people in custody — a female and two others from a car that was pulled over after a chase on the interstate. The suspects are not cooperating with investigators.
Police are currently negotiating with another suspect who has been cornered in a parking garage. The suspect has exchanged gunfire with officers and, according to Brown, “has told our negotiators that the end is coming” and that more officers would be hurt.
The suspect also claimed that multiple explosive devices had been planted in the area. People who work downtown have been advised to check in the morning whether they should come into work, and go to dallascitynews.net for updates.
This story is still developing.
