Snipers Shoot 11 Dallas Police Officers, 5 Dead During Protests

[wmbondurant]

Dallas police are responding to reports of shots fired at a downtown Dallas protest and rally following the deadly officer-involved shootings in other cities this week.

Witnesses say at least one Dallas police officer may have been shot.

Several hundred people gathered Thursday at Belo Garden Park in Dallas, where they began their march through downtown in protest of the shootings.

A peaceful protest against nationwide officer-involved shootings took a sinister turn at about 9 p.m. Thursday night after snipers shot 11 police officers, killing five, according to Dallas Police Chief Brown.

“Some officers were shot in the back,” said Brown, who added during a press conference that they were attacked “ambush-style.”

One suspect died of a self-inflicted gun shot wound at about 2:50am after an hours-long stand-off with police. Another suspect – an unidentified woman – was said to be in custody.

At about 3:30am Maj. Max Geron of the Dallas PD tweeted, “There are extensive sweeps of downtown for explosives underway. This will take quite a while.”

Early Friday morning Chief Brown sent the following statement via email before the fourth officer died.

Tonight it appears that two snipers shot ten police officers from elevated positions during the protest/rally. Three officers are deceased, two are in surgery and three are in critical condition. An intensive search for suspects is currently underway.

DART police officer Brent Thompson, 43, was identified as one of the victims fatally shot by snipers during Thursday night’s protest in Downtown Dallas.

Officer Thompson is the first officer killed in the line of duty since DART formed a police department in 1989. He joined the DART Police Department in 2009.

Witnesses told they heard multiple gunshots fire off and saw protestors start running, fearful for their lives.

“They were shooting down at police. I saw officers get hit,” said protestor Jamal Johnson.

Dallas rally organizer Cory Hughes recounted the moment he heard at least “30 gun shots” go off. “Whoever was shooting had an assault rifle — and I know guns. The shots were in rapid succession,” he said.

Yet another witness recounted how police officers yelled at her to get down.

Clarissa Myles was eating at McDonald when the chaos began. “Everyone was screaming, people were running… I saw at least probably 30 shots go off,” she said.

Myles also said she saw two men who were “super upset” with police right before shots rang out. She was shocked that the peaceful protest could take such a sinister turn so quickly.

“Are they really shooting? This was a peaceful protest,” said Myles in disbelief.

Police searched for suspects with rifles in a parking garage at Griffin and Lamar in downtown Dallas immediately after the shooting. Shortly after guns shots rang out, DART rail and bus service in downtown were suspended.

Just minutes from downtown proper, a witness standing outside of Baylor Hospital in Dallas saw one of the wounded officers arrive at the ER in the 10 o’clock hour.

“We were about two blocks away when we saw a cop car with a bullet hole in the door riding on its rims past us,” he said.

DART officer Misty McBride was one of the 11 officers shot taken to Baylor. She suffered two gun shot wounds, one in the arm, another in her abdomen, according to McBride’s father, Richard McBride. Misty McBride has worked with DART for about five years.

Police named Mark Hughes, (Cory Hughs’ brother) as a person of interest at 11:30 p.m. He later turned himself in and was released Friday morning.

Another alleged suspect was in a shootout with SWAT officers before he was taken into custody late Thursday night around midnight. SWAT found a suspicious package near him and the DPD bomb squad secured it. Police also arrested a woman who they said was in the vicinity of El Centro garage, where Brown said one suspect was still cornered on the second floor as of 2 a.m. Friday morning.

Police are still negotiating with him. He told Brown “the end is coming” and he will “hurt and kill more of us [read: police] and that “there are more bombs in the garage and downtown.”

Further more, Brown said he wasn’t “comfortable” saying that there weren’t “more suspects” responsible… and that as many as four snipers may be responsible.

“It’s a heartbreaking morning to lose these four officers. Officers put their lives on the line every day,” said Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings.

Rawlings urged anyone who works downtown to avoid the area Friday.

================================

An hours-long shootout with an armed suspect came to an end early on Friday as the man was confirmed to have died, after at least one sniper opened fire on police officers during protests in Dallas, killing five officers and injuring six others.

Three suspects are in custody after a sniper fired "ambush style" on the officers, Dallas Police Chief David Brown told reporters.

The gunman was identified as 25-year-old Micah X Johnson, an Army reservist from a suburb of Dallas. He was killed by an explosive device police had attached to a robot.

Johnson had told negotiators that he wanted to kill white people, especially white police officers, after a recent spate of US officer-involved shootings of black men, the city's police chief said.

Chief David Brown appealed for unity in the wake of the attacks, which left five police dead and nine wounded - seven of them cops - saying, "This must stop - this divisiveness between our police and our citizens."

Officer Patrick Zamarripa , Navy veteran and father, among those killed.

The Army said Friday that Micah Xavier Johnson, named as a suspect in the Dallas police shootings, served in the Army Reserve for six years and did a nine-month tour of duty in Afghanistan.

The Army released a portion of Johnson's service record that said he enlisted in March 2009 and served in the Army Reserve until April 2015.

He was a private first class and at the time he entered the Army gave his home of record as Mesquite, Texas, the Army said.

His military occupational specialty was carpentry and masonry, the Army said.

The Army said Johnson deployed to Afghanistan in November 2013 and returned in July 2014. For that he was given an Afghanistan Campaign Medal with campaign star. He also earned an Army Achievement Medal, an Army Service Ribbon and an Armed Forces Reserve Medal with "M" Device, among other standard awards for service.

Also Officer Michael Krol, a native of Detroit who joined the Dallas Police in 2007, was killed in the attack.

Originally Posted by intre

pic is of the dead shooter

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Pro...385784431.html

[rapeWhistle]

[vanillabuzz]

Cops being shot at in Texas? Who cares.

[wmbondurant]

DALLAS -- Reports now say 10 officers -- Dallas and transit officers -- were wounded in Dallas shooting on Thursday. One officer is reported dead.

There is a report that there were two snipers firing at the officers.

"Tonight it appears that two snipers shot ten police officers from elevated positions during the protest/rally," Brown wrote in a statement. "Three officers are deceased, two are in surgery and three are in critical condition. An intensive search for suspects is currently underway. No suspects are in custody at this time. We ask that any citizen with information regarding the shootings tonight call 214-671-3482."

The gunfire broke out around 8:45 p.m. Thursday. Live TV video showed protesters marching along a street in downtown when the shots erupted and the crowd scattered, seeking cover. There was no immediate word on whether anyone had been injured. There were about 800 people at the demonstration.

Scores of police and security officers were on hand.

A police dispatcher reached by The Associated Press had no immediate comment.

http://www.wtsp.com/news/shots-fired...llas/266895615

[daniandson]

3dead now crazy. snipers trying to start a war.

[Jaintly]

A sniper shooting from a building in Dallas? It's been done before.

[drusilladimitria]

WTF. Punish bad people, not all people.
These officers had nothing to do with the other shootings.

[MikeLRM]

I'm being told 4 dead and 10 wounded. Here in Baton Rouge, it's stirring quickly. Louisiana 3% United Patriots have mobilized along With State Agencies. Bus loads of "Protesters " have arrived from St. Louis and other states. Tomorrow is supposed to be the day they start. Credible sources state that they are saying they are coming to "purge" law enforcement. We will be here waiting. Not in Louisiana. We will protect our people. Pray for the fallen and injured
In Dallas.

[Bletch]

Mansons Helter Skelter scenario becomes reality.

[Samoth]

Apparently there might be a bomb too.