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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
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Sam Levin (now), Amber Jamieson,Jessica Glenza, Matthew Weaver and Claire Phipps (earlier)

Dallas police shooting: Micah Johnson was 'lone shooter' – as it happened

Dallas police shootings: what we know so far

What we know about Dallas police shooting

  • The dead suspect is Micah Xavier Johnson, a 25-year-old resident of the Dallas area, who was a veteran of the Afghanistan war.
  • Five police officers were shot and killed during a protest against police violence that drew roughly 800 people in Dallas.
  • Seven more people were wounded in the shooting.
  • The fatal victims are Michael Krol, Patrick Zamarripa, Michael Smith, Brent Thompson and Lorne Ahrens.
  • Contrary to early reports of multiple snipers and suspects, Johnson was a “lone shooter”, officials confirmed.
  • Police officers have reportedly been “targeted” and “ambushed” in other parts of the US, including Georgia and Missouri.
  • Johnson used an AR-15 assault weapon and was carrying magazines of ammunition, officials said.
  • Police described the suspect as a “loner” and claimed he embraced “a radical form of Afrocentrism”.
  • Detectives said they uncovered “bomb making materials” and a “personal journal of combat tactics” at Johnson’s home.
  • During negotiations, Johnson said he wanted to “kill white people, especially white officers”, according to police.
  • In what appears to be a first in history, police used a robot to kill Johnson.

Obama to visit Dallas

The White House has announced that Barack Obama plans to visit Dallas “early next week”. The president will leave Madrid, Spain on Saturday and return to Washington on Sunday earlier than planned:

The President has accepted an invitation from Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings to travel to Dallas early next week. Later in the week, at the White House, the President will continue the work to bring people together to support our police officers and communities, and find common ground by discussing policy ideas for addressing the persistent racial disparities in our criminal justice system. We’ll have more details about next week’s activities as soon as they are available.

Updates on officers 'ambushed'

An update on other reports of violence against police outside of Dallas:

A police officer in Ballwin, Missouri, just outside of St Louis, remains in critical condition after he was shot in the neck during a traffic stop late Friday morning, the St Louis Post-Dispatch reported. The suspect, 31-year-old Antonio Taylor, is facing charges of assault on a police officer, armed criminal action and possession of weapon as a felon.

Police recovered a semi-automatic handgun. “Make no mistake, we believe that Ballwin officer was ambushed,” said St. Louis county police chief Jon Belmar.

In Valdosta, Georgia, a man called 911 to report a break-in on Friday and then ambushed a police officer dispatched to the scene, according to the AP. The confrontation sparked a shootout, and authorities said both the officer and suspect were wounded, but are expected to survive.

In Bristol, Tennessee, 37-year-old Lakeem Keon Scott is accused of indiscriminately shooting at passing cars and police on a highway. The Associated Press reports that he said he was angry about police violence against African-Americans and that one woman died in the shooting. Three others, including an officer, were injured.

Officials say Scott was armed with an assault rifle, a pistol and a large amount of ammunition. The fatal victim, identified Jennifer Rooney, was a newspaper courier.

Clinton: US must confront 'implicit bias'

Presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton said the country has to confront “implicit bias” in the wake of fatal police shootings. She told NBC News’ Lester Holt:

I believe we need a national conversation, and we start showing respect toward one another. Seeing each other, walking in each other’s shoes. I think we have to show our support for our police under very difficult circumstances, particularly as we have seen in the last day, the bravery of police officers running toward danger and being shot down.

At the same time, we’ve got to do criminal justice reform and we need national guidelines about the use of force, particularly lethal force so routine traffic stops don’t escalate into killings. We also have to be honest, all of us, in facing implicit bias that all of us, unfortunately, I think, may still have.

Asked about the death of suspect Micah Johnson – in what appears to be the first known case of lethal force by a bomb-disposal robot – Dallas mayor Mike Rawlings said that officers tried to arrest him alive:

This was a man we gave plenty of options to. He had a choice to come out and we would not harm or he could stay and we would. He picked the latter.

In his speech, governor Greg Abbott said “the primary message is one word, and that is unity”. He also emphasized the importance of “respect and reverence for the men and women who wear that uniform”.

In response to questions about possible co-conspirators, Abbott said, “As a former law enforcement official and prosecutor, I want to make sure that we button down every corner before we rule out any possible co-conspirators. Remember this, we know what the mayor said about the gunman. What we don’t know is who, if anybody, may have known what the gunman knew, what he was going to do, may have assisted him in any of his efforts.”

Abbott declined to comment on lieutenant governor Dan Patrick’s controversial remarks calling the protesters “hypocrites” for seeking police shelter. Instead, Abbott restated his message of “unity”.

Here’s the governor and mayor at the late-afternoon press conference:

Dallas mayor Mike Rawlings has offered this explanation about the police detaining and questioning different suspects before determining that Micah Johnson was a lone shooter:

There were about 20 individuals in ammo gear, in protective equipment and rifles slung over their shoulder. When the shooting started at different angles, they started running. We started catching. That’s when we proceeded to start to interview them as we’ve started to unravel this fishing knot. We realized the shooting came from one building at different levels.

Governor Greg Abbott said the suspect Micah Johnson has “received his justice” at a news conference at Dallas city hall just now:

To every man and woman of the Dallas police department … I want you to know you have the respect of a grateful state. And you have a governor who has your back. As it concerns the cowardice, it seems as though the sole suspect now has received his justice.

What will be important is to ensure there are now no other potential co-conspirators with this particular assailant. If there is, they will be sought. They will be found and they will receive the justice they deserve.

Mayor: suspect was 'lone shooter'

Mayor Mike Rawlings, speaking at a city hall press conference now, confirmed that suspect Micah Johnson was a “lone shooter”, contrary to earlier reports citing multiple snipers:

Mr Johnson, now deceased, was a lone shooter in this incident. ... There was confusion with everybody running around. But this was a mobile shooter that had written manifestos on how to shoot and move, and he did that. He did his damage. But we did damage to him as well. We believe now that the city is safe and the suspect is dead. We can move on to healing.

Watch Texas governor Greg Abbott’s press conference live here:

Texas lieutenant governor Dan Patrick has backtracked from his earlier comments calling protesters “hypocrites” for seeking police shelter when they began hearing shots during. He told CNN:

Maybe it’s the wrong choice of words. I’ve seen a lot of death in the last 12 hours.

He added that he’d seen four bodies on gurneys last night in the hospital. “What we have seen throughout the last several years is rhetoric geared towards police officers,” Patrick continued. “I just though the irony last night was there was a protest. ... We’ve seen protest after protest where it’s been very general after police in general. What we saw last night was that the police officers turned around and protected those people and did their duty and they died doing it.”

Here are his original comments on Fox News that sparked significant backlash online:

I do blame people on social media with their hatred towards police,” Patrick said on Fox News. I do blame former Black Lives Matter protests, last night was peaceful, others have not been. All those protesters last night, they ran the other way expecting the men and women in blue to turn around and protect them. What hypocrites!

Officers targeted in Tennessee, Georgia and Missouri, police say

Police say that officers have been “targeted” in Tennessee, Georgia and Missouri in the aftermath of the Dallas shootings, according to the Associated Press:

The attack in Tennessee occurred hours before the killing of five police officers in Dallas on Thursday night during a protest. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says the attacker told authorities that he was frustrated by the recent killings by police of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota.

Police have not disclosed a motive in Friday’s attacks in Georgia and Missouri, which have been described as ambushes.

In a fourth attack early Friday, a motorist fired at a police car as the officer drove by. In all, four officers were wounded. The officer wounded outside St. Louis is in critical but stable condition. The wounded officers are expected to survive.

In Ballwin, outside of St Louis:

Police: Suspect embraced "radical form of Afrocentrism"

Dallas police have just released new information on the investigation into the 25-year-old suspect Micah Johnson, who officials claim embraced a “a radical form of Afrocentrism”, according to his Facebook. Police said in its new statement that Johnson also used different names on social media:

The suspect has no criminal history. Information provided through the course of the investigation, indicates that the suspect was an Army veteran and others have identified him as a loner. The suspect’s Facebook account included the following names and information: Fahed Hassen, Richard GRIFFIN aka Professor Griff, GRIFFIN embraces a radical form of Afrocentrism, and GRIFFIN wrote a book A Warriors Tapestry.

Some other details from the ongoing police investigation:

  • During the search of the suspect’s home, detectives uncovered “bomb making materials, ballistic vests, rifles, ammunition, and a personal journal of combat tactics”.
  • At least 12 officers discharged their weapons, and detectives have interview over 200 police officers.
  • Police arrested Brandon Waller, 25, for “unrelated weapons charges”.
  • Parts of downtown will remain closed to the public until Wednesday.

An impromptu memorial has popped up at the scene of the Dallas shooting to commemorate the lives of the five police officers killed last night.

Clinton on Dallas shooting and racism in police forces

Presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton called for “more love and kindness” in light of the Dallas shootings last night and the deaths of black men at the hands of police earlier this week.

“This is deeply troubling and it should worry every single American. We’ve got to do a lot more to listen to one another, respect one another,” Clinton told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.

Clinton said the week was a “call to action” to implement her plans for national comprehensive guidelines into the use of deadly force by police officers, and also to encourage people to better respect and support police.

“Those police officers were protecting a peaceful protest... a hallmark of America. Let’s start understanding, putting ourselves in each others shoes again and coming together as Americans to end this terrible violence.”

Clinton also spoke out about the “systematic racism” in some of the 18,000 police forces across the United States against people of color.

“I would call for white people like myself to put ourselves in the shoes of those African-American families who fear every time their children go somewhere, who have to have ‘the talk’ about how to really protect themselves when they should be being protected,” said Clinton. “I’m going to be talking to white people, I think we’re the ones who have to listen to the legitimate cries coming from our African-American neighbors.”

“We need communities to feel they can trust police... that’s going to take a lot more community and bridge building and training on behalf of our police officers,” said Clinton, noting that many police forces were small and struggled with funding and training.

“We’ve got to start respecting and treating each other with the dignity every person deserves,” said Clinton.

Smith & Wesson stock jumps after Dallas shooting

Business reporter Jana Kasperkevic on gun manufacturers:

Smith & Wesson stock opened near an all-time high on Friday after five police officers were killed and seven were injured in a shooting in Dallas. The gunmaker’s stock opened at $29.75 a share.

Earlier this year, the stock hit a record high on 18 March, trading at $30.44 a share. That day it closed at an all-time high of $29.37.

Stocks for Smith & Wesson rose about 3% on Friday while stocks for fellow firearm manufacturer Sturm Ruger went up by 5%. The shares surged in anticipation of higher gun sales due to fears of stricter gun control policies following the worst mass shooting of police in US history.

In addition to shares of gunmakers, shares of Taser and Digital Ally also surged on the news. The two companies make wearable video cameras worn by US police, and Taser also makes electroshock weapons used by some police.

Read the rest of the article here.

Updated

Police dispatch calls from Thursday night’s deadly shooting in Dallas, in which five officers were killed and seven injured. In the audio, police officers are heard making frantic calls as they pursue at least one suspect in the shooting which occurred at a rally held against police violence

Police dispatch calls released from night of Dallas shooting

The father of Patrick Zamarripa, one of the police officers who was killed in Dallas last night, posted on Facebook this morning about the loss of his son.

What we know about shootings of police in Dallas, Texas

Pastor at vigil: “We refuse to hate each other”.

A vigil in Thanks-Giving Square in Dallas, Texas drew large crowds of mourners.

We know a lot of you will be out at vigils for the victims in Louisiana, Minnesota and Dallas this weekend. While you’re there, send us what you’re seeing. We’ll feature a selection of contributions in our coverage.

We’re looking for photographs, videos and tributes of all kinds. Use the “contribute with Guardian Witness” button at top of this page or click here.

Updated

In Dallas, an impromptu memorial in front of police headquarters draws dozens of bouquets of flowers.

And reports are also indicating that blood donations in the city have soared.

While we wait for the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee to speak, The Guardian’s Gary Young has offered us three points to remember about yesterday’s events in Dallas, Texas.

Protestors react after shots were fired during a protest on Thursday in Dallas.
Protestors react after shots were fired during a protest on Thursday in Dallas. Photograph: Ashley Landis/AP

In a country where it’s easier to obtain a semi-automatic gun than to obtain healthcare, a fragile mind can wreak havoc on a fragile political culture. So it was on Thursday night when a shooter opened fire on police at a Black Lives Matter demonstration killing five officers and wounding at least seven others.

Even as events in Dallas unfold there are three key things one can say. The first is that these murders are vile and should be unequivocally condemned. They can in no way be understood or excused as retaliation for the well-publicised recent incidents of police shootings of African Americans. Indeed the effect of such individual acts of violence is not to support the movement against racism but sabotage it. Its enemies will smear it by association; potential allies will be more wary; those within it will be more cautious. Those believed responsible should be found, charged and prosecuted. This is the appropriate response when people cavalierly and wantonly take the life of another. Anything less would lack justice.

Which brings us to the second point. Justice is indivisible. If it is accorded to some and not others it is not justice but privilege. That is why these horrific assassinations should in no way diminish the urgency or importance of the issue of police killings of African Americans or undermine the Black Lives Matter movement.

Dallas police have described the demonstration where these shootings occurred as “peaceful”. Since Black Lives Matter seized the popular imagination two years ago, it has had no history of making organised violent attacks on the police. Demonstrations have periodically turned into clashes with police, and even riots. But those have been spontaneous moments in collective protest – at times provoked by police themselves – none of which has lead to further fatalities. They have not been the work of an individual or small cabal whose primary intent was murder. On the question of nonviolence there is nothing one could say about Black Lives Matter that could not be said about Martin Luther King’s civil rights movement, whose detractors sought to discredit it whenever violence attached itself to its cause.”

Read more about Dallas, police killings and Black Lives Matter protests by Gary Younge.

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is expected to appear on CNN within about a half-hour.

She canceled an event in Pennsylvania earlier today, as a result of the mass shooting in Dallas, Texas. Clinton is also scheduled to speak at the African Methodist Episcopal Church General Conference in Philadelphia at 6:3opm ET.

Repercussions from the attack in Dallas, a mass shooting that killed five police officers and injured seven more people, have rippled outward to Cleveland, Ohio.

There, the Republican National Convention security chief announced enhanced security for the RNC this month.

From what is believed to be alleged Dallas shooter Micah Johnson’s home in Mesquite, Tom Dart has given us this look at the scene:

Investigators leave the home of Micah Xavier Johnson in the Dallas suburb of Mesquite, Texas, Friday, July 8, 2016. A Texas law enforcement official identified Johnson, 25, as the sniper who opened fire on police officers in the heart of Dallas during anti-police violence protests.
Investigators leave the home of Micah Xavier Johnson in the Dallas suburb of Mesquite, Texas, Friday, July 8, 2016. A Texas law enforcement official identified Johnson, 25, as the sniper who opened fire on police officers in the heart of Dallas during anti-police violence protests. Photograph: LM Otero/AP

On Friday morning, Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms agents and local police were at the house where Johnson seemingly lived with his mother. The road was blocked off at both ends by police and a crowd of neighbors, and media, gathered in a field opposite the home, a large two-story structure on a well-kept street in the Dallas suburb of Mesquite, a half-hour drive of the shooting scene in downtown Dallas.

A neighbor, Jowanda Alexander, said that she met Johnson once, about five or six months ago, when he came round to complain about her daughter, saying she was “messing with his mailbox”. She said that he was polite: “when he came he didn’t come aggressive, just real gentle and he seemed real nervous,” she said. Alexander described the area as a nice, diverse, place. “My heart is about to jump out of my chest,” she said. “It’s scary because you just never know who your neighbors are.”

“It’s quiet, everybody minds their own business. You don’t hardly know whether anybody’s home or not,” said Falonda Johnson, who lives in a nearby street. “It’s normally pretty safe round here.”

New information has also emerged about an alleged shooter, Micah Johnson, a 25-year-old Mesquite, Texas resident.

Johnson was an Afghanistan war veteran with no known terrorism ties or criminal record. Earlier today, Dallas police chief David Brown said Johnson told police during negotiations that he wanted to, “kill white people, especially white officers.”

Micah Johnson, a 25-year-old Mesquite, Texas resident, was identified as an alleged shooter in an attack on police officers in the city.
Micah Johnson, a 25-year-old Mesquite, Texas resident, was identified as an alleged shooter in an attack on police officers in the city. Photograph: Facebook

Spencer Ackerman and Amber Jamieson bring us more detail about Johnson, a man allegedly behind the attack.

The man killed by police after five officers were murdered in Dallas on Thursday night was a veteran of the Afghanistan war, the US army has confirmed.

Three suspects remain in police custody, but one was killed during the confrontation by an explosive device set off by a police robot.

The dead suspect is Micah Xavier Johnson, a 25-year-old resident of the Dallas area, law enforcement and government sources who spoke on condition of anonymity told the Associated Press and Reuters.

Johnson, an enlisted US army reservist, deployed to Afghanistan in November 2013 and served there until July 2014, according to his service record, released by the US army on Friday. He was an engineer, and a carpentry and masonry specialist.

His rank was private first class, earned the year after his March 2009 enlistment. He left the military in April 2015 after serving in the 420th Engineer Brigade in Seagoville, Texas.

Johnson had no known ties to terrorism and no criminal record, according to a law enforcement official who spoke to CNN.

On his Facebook page, which has been taken down, his profile picture showed him wearing an African dashiki shirt and raising his fist in a black power salute. Other pictures showed him dressed in military uniform.

During negotiations with police following the shootout in Dallas, he “said he was upset about Black Lives Matter”, Dallas police chief David Brown told the media. “The suspect said he wanted to kill white people, especially white officers. The suspect said that he was not affiliated with any groups and he stated that he did this alone.”

One of the organizers of the Dallas protest, Pastor Jeff Hood, said he did not recognize Johnson and had never heard of him.

Around a half dozen police vehicles were parked outside what was believed to be Johnson’s home in Mesquite, Texas, on Friday, according to the AP. Investigators were seen walking in and out of the two-story brick home located in the suburbs of Dallas.

On the Facebook page of Delphene Johnson, 49, who is believed to be Micah’s mother, friends and family had left messages saying they send their prayers. A photo posted in 2010 by his mother, captioned “my first born Micah at 2”, showed a small, smiling boy dressed in a green and white baseball shirt and blue jeans.

In another photo posted in 2010, a teenage boy in a blue polo shirt sits in front of an old car, with the caption “Micah chilin on the cruise”.

Updated

We are also getting more information about officers killed in last night’s attack in Dallas.

From The Guardian’s Joanna Walters, here’s more about the third deceased police officers to be identified as a victim of Thursday’s shooting. Two more have not been identified.

Michael Krol, a Dallas, Texas police officer, was the victim of a shooting in the city on Thursday.
Michael Krol, a Dallas, Texas police officer, was the victim of a shooting in the city on Thursday. Photograph: Wayne County Sheriff's Ofice

Michael Krol became a police officer in the Dallas police department in 2007 after previously working in a local county jail system in Michigan.

Krol worked for the Wayne County sheriff’s office jail system from 2003-2007, according to a statement.

His uncle, Jim Ehlke, told ClickonDetroit that his nephew had a passion for helping people and that being an officer was his life dream.

“He got into law enforcement and worked really hard to be a police officer. He spent some time at the correctional facility. It wasn’t quite what he was looking for, so he worked pretty hard to find a job and got one in Dallas,” Ehlke said. “He was all in, he was all in.”

“We are saddened by the loss of the dedicated officers in Dallas – one of whom was a former member of this agency – and also the wounding of the other officers,” Wayne County sheriff Benny Napoleon said in a statement on Friday. “Those officers made the ultimate sacrifice and died honoring their oaths to protect and serve. Our thoughts and prayers go out to their families and also the Dallas police department,” he added.

The vigil in Thanks-Giving Square is, as we said, very well attended. Here’s a shot from The Guardian’s Jon Swaine, on the ground in Dallas.

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings spoke passionately at Thanks-Giving Square, following the chief’s comments. Saying America must “attack” the issue of race “head on”.

We will not shy away from the very real fact that we as a city, as a state, as a nation are struggling with racial issues,” said Rawlings. They continue to divide us.”

“Yes it’s that word ‘race’, and we’ve got to attack it head on.” ...

“This is on my generation of leaders,” said Rawlings. “It is on our watch that we have allowed this to continue to fester.”

Rawlings said American cannot “continue to pit one against the other”, and that the nation must balance the “relatively few officers that blemish the reputation of their high calling,” with the honest and brave “99% of officers”.

The Dallas police chief’s comments leave open the question of how many shooters were present during Thursday evening’s attack, which killed five police officers and injured seven more people during an anti-police violence protest.

Earlier Friday, Brown said that the gunman said he had acted “alone”.

'We won’t rest until we bring everyone involved to justice.'

The Dallas chief of police David Brown, speaking at the interfaith vigil, tells the crowd that the attack, “was a well planned, well thought out, evil tragedy by these suspects, and we won’t rest until we bring everyone involved to justice.”

Brown also said that he would “Not let this person steal this democracy from us.”

Faith leaders at vigil promise to 'work together and pray together'

Faith leaders are now having a very well attended and emotional vigil in Thanks-Giving Square in Dallas, Texas.

“Hate destroys, love builds up,” says a faith leader, as helicopters chop overhead.

 
A faith vigil in Thanksgiving Square, Dallas, Texas, commemorates the five police officers who died in a shooting Thursday.

Updated

Dallas police used a robot to detonate a bomb, and kill a shooter identified as 25-year-old Micah Johnson.

It is believed to be the first use of such a robot in history.

Experts said it may be the first time that a bomb disposal robot, such as the one pictured above, may have been used as a weapon.
Experts said it may be the first time that a bomb disposal robot, such as the one pictured above, may have been used as a weapon. Photograph: Ian Waldie/Getty Images

More from The Guardian’s Sam Thielman:

This is not the first time a robot designed with other functions in mind has been used as a weapon, but this kind of repurposing has until now been limited to the military.

Peter Singer, a strategist and senior fellow at the New America Foundation who writes about the technology of warfare, said that in the early 2000s, a solider he interviewed repurposed a surveillance robot called a Marcbot with a bomb. These robots aren’t autonomous, Singer emphasized – the Marcbot “is like a toy truck with a sensor and camera mount they’d use to drive up to a checkpoint”. But this soldier had improvised: “They duct-taped an explosive and you can figure out the rest. You can see the parallels here.”

Turning back to protest organizers’ comments in Dallas, Reverend Dr Jeff Hood, who said he was a primary organizer, told reporters that protests were peaceful and coordinated with the Dallas police.

Forty hours ago, when we decided to go out on a limb and see if we could get a protest together to respond to Baton Rouge and St. Paul, never in our wildest dreams would we imagine – first of all the type of crowd that showed up last night,” Hood said, referring to the deaths of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling.

“Never would we have imagined that five police officers would be dead this morning.”

Hood’s comments did not answer how a shooter may have known the end of the march route, where police said he shot from an “elevated position” at officers.

US Attorney General calls week's shootings 'heartbreaking loss'

Lynch also referenced two police killings that made news this week, in Louisiana and Minnesota. Here are the attorney general’s comments, beginning with her words about this week’s “heartbreaking loss”:

This has been a week of profound grief and heartbreaking loss. The peaceful protest that was planned in Dallas last night was organized in response to the tragic deaths of Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota.

We have opened a civil rights investigation in Louisiana and we are providing assistance to local authorities in Minnesota who are leading the investigation there. Today, we are feeling the devastating loss of Dallas Area Rapid Transit Officer Brent Thompson and four other fallen officers whose names remain unreleased as we await notification of all the families. After the events of this week, Americans across the county are feeling a sense of helplessness, of uncertainty and of fear. These feelings are understandable and they are justified. But the answer must not be violence. The answer is never violence.

Rather, the answer must be action: calm, peaceful, collaborative and determined action. We must continue working to build trust between communities and law enforcement. We must continue working to guarantee every person in this country equal justice under the law. We must take a hard look at the ease with which wrongdoers can get their hands on deadly weapons and the frequency with which they use them. We must reflect on the kind of country we want to build and the kind of society we want to pass on to our children. We must reject the easy impulses of bitterness and rancor and embrace the difficult work of finding a path forward together.

Above all, we must remind ourselves that we are all Americans – and that, as Americans, we share not just a common land, but a common life. Those we have lost this week have come from different neighborhoods and backgrounds – but today, they are mourned by officers and residents, by family and friends – by men and women and children who loved them, who needed them and who will miss them always. They are mourned by all of us.

To the families of all who lost their lives in this series of tragedies, we share your pain and your loss. To our brothers and sisters who wear the badge: I want you to know that I am deeply grateful for the difficult and dangerous work you do every day to keep our streets safe and our nations secure. I am heartbroken at this loss. And the Department of Justice will do all we can to support you in the days ahead. To those who seek to improve our country through peaceful protest and protected speech: I want you to know that your voice is important. Do not be discouraged by those who use your lawful actions as cover for their heinous violence. We will continue to safeguard your constitutional rights and to work with you in the difficult mission of building a better nation and a brighter future. And to all Americans: I ask you not to allow the events of this week to precipitate a ‘new normal’ in our country. I ask you to turn to each other, not against each other as we move forward.

And I urge you to remember, today and every day, that we are one nation. We are one people. And we stand together. May God bless the families and loved ones of all who were taken from us this week. And may God bless the United States of America.

US Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who heads the Department of Justice now investigating several police departments around the country for civil rights violations, tells Americans: “Do not let this week precipitate a new normal in this country.”

“I ask you to turn to each other and not against each other.”

US Attorney General Loretta Lynch is now speaking – we will return to Reverend Dr Jeff Hood’s comments in Dallas, Texas.

We’re now listening to organizers of the march speak about the events last night in Dallas. Reverend Dr Jeff Hood, who identified himself as a primary organizer of the march, speaks about his experience during the shooting:

“We have got to turn to love.”

Updated

Brent Thompson, of Dallas Area Rapid Transit, one of five officers killed in a shooting incident in Dallas, Texas.
Brent Thompson, of Dallas Area Rapid Transit, one of five officers killed in a shooting incident in Dallas, Texas. Photograph: HANDOUT/Reuters

As we wait for the US attorney general to speak about attacks that killed five Dallas police officers Thursday evening, we are learning more about those killed in the attack.

Transit officer Brent Thompson, a 43-year-old grandfather, was married last month. Patrick Zamarripa, 32, received tributes on social media: ‘You are a hero’

Here’s more from The Guardian’s Joanna Walters:

Thompson joined the division in 2009. The Dart chief, James Spiller, said, “He was an outstanding patrol officer as well as a rail officer.”

Thompson married a fellow Dart officer just last month, said Spiller on NBC Today. A statement from Dart said: “Our hearts are broken.” A picture was posted on Twitter of Thompson with his grandson.”

Zamarripa, meanwhile, had written on social media that he was “addicted” to the excitment being a police officer.

One post from his stepbrother, Dylan Martinez, read: “No father should have to bury his son. You are a hero, Patrick. Love you man….”

He was described as a family man and a military veteran.

On Zamarripa’s Twitter page, he had written: “Addicted to the thrill of this job. I own the night. I love my Country, Texas, Family, God, Friends, and Sports! Don’t Tread on Me! ’Merica.”

On the Fourth of July, Zamarripa posted a patriotic tweet, saying: “Happy Birthday to the greatest country on the face of this planet . My beloved America!”

Updated

US Attorney General Loretta Lynch’s upcoming press conference will stream here, for those who would like to watch with us.

US Attorney General Loretta Lynch is scheduled to hold a press conference about attacks in Dallas, Texas, Thursday evening during an anti-police violence protest.

Former President George W Bush, a Texas native, said he and wife Laura Bush are “heartbroken by the heinous acts of violence in our city last night.” The Bushes also own an estate in Dallas.

We join our fellow citizens in saluting the fine law enforcement officers in Dallas and across the country who put their own lives in the line to keep all lives safe.”

Bernie Sanders has also tweeted about last night’s attack in Dallas, calling it “despicable”.

In the next few minutes, we’re expecting US Attorney General Loretta Lynch to begin a press conference.

Afterward, organizers of the march in Dallas, Next Generation Action Network, will speak about last night’s attack.

Updated

The Guardian is working to clarify the number of shooters involved in last night’s attack in Dallas, during anti-police violence protests.

Dallas police chief David Brown told reporters Thursday evening that two snipers fired on officers “from elevated positions.”

However, Brown said Friday morning that a shooter told police he acted “alone” and was not affiliated with any organizations.

AP identifies Micah Johnson as a Dallas shooter

The Associated Press has identified 25-year-old Micah Johnson as a shooter involved in the attack in Dallas Thursday evening.

Five police officers were killed and six wounded during an anti-police violence protest.

The National Rifle Association, America’s largest firearms lobby, released a statement on the five police officers shot and killed and seven injured in Dallas, Texas.

The statement does not address recent attempts at, or calls for, gun control legislation in Congress.

On behalf of the more than 5m members of the National Rifle Association, and especially on behalf of our members from the law enforcement community, I want to express the deep anguish all of us feel for the heroic Dallas law enforcement officers who were killed and wounded, as well as those who so bravely ran toward danger to defend the city and the people of Dallas.”

Gunman ‘wanted to kill white officers’, says Dallas police chief

Watch more of Dallas police chief David Brown’s press conference, where he told the media that the shooter wanted to “kill white people” and “especially white officers.”

Congressional Black Caucus: “This will be a long hot summer.”

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus have just called strongly for a vote on gun control legislation, referencing the killing of five police officers in Dallas, Texas and shootings of young black men in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and St Anthony, Minnesota.

“Republicans – what on earth? – why are you recalling and not giving us a debate on gun violence?” said Representative GK Butterfield, a North Carolina Democrat and chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. “Why not give us a hearing? Give us an up or down vote on our legislation on gun violence – why?”

Butterfield said he met with Washington DC anti-violence protesters at around 10pm Thursday, walking out of the capitol to meet them and walk to the White House.

“We spoke to them, we embraced them and we helped lead their march to the White House,” he said. He said the protesters were willing to, “pull off the bandaid of the stain of irresponsible police killings in America.”

“If we fail to act, this will be a long hot summer.”

“Justice will be done,” said Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. “It’s been a long month for America.”

Every member of this body, every Republican and every Democrat wants to see less gun violence. Every member of this body wants a world in which people feel safe, regardless of the color of their skin, and that’s not how people are feeling these days.”

House minority leader Nancy Pelosi also told her colleagues and viewers, “We are all horrified.”

We’re now listening to leaders of the House speak about the events in Dallas, and also anticipating a press conference by the Congressional Black Caucus.

The Guardian’s Tom Dart is on-scene in Dallas. Here’s his view, 11 hours after shooting began in the Texas city, not far from Dealey Plaza, where President John F Kennedy was assassinated.

Jeff Hall, a 53-year-old architect, walked out of the Donut Palace, a yellow police cordon immediately to his left. On the other side of the tape, seven yellow plastic triangles on the sidewalk appeared to mark the location of blood stains.

Hall bought a box of two-dozen doughnuts to give to police. He lives on the 21st floor of a nearby tower block and was alerted to the incident last night when he saw a helicopter hovering outside his window.

“It’s like, what the fuck is a helicopter doing?” he said. Beneath was a roiling sea of flashing lights. “I looked down, it looked like the city was covered in molten lava,” he said.

Charles Wilson, who was nearby when shooting started, said police and protestors began gathering at about 5pm and there had also been a small protest Wednesday.

“It sounded like firecrackers but it wasn’t firecrackers, it was bullets, and the cops started saying ‘Go the other way, go the other way!,’” the 55-year-old, who works at the downtown convention center, said.

He walked along the light-rail tracks to evade the scene, as best he could when officers swarmed the area. “It was like everybody was in a box, you couldn’t go nowhere,” he said. “It was basically like something out of a movie.”

Wilson, who is black, said that there is an element of racial tension when white police interact with African-American people in some neighborhoods, but Dallas is no Ferguson.

“All the stuff going on round the country hadn’t happened here,” he said. Still, this is a city notorious for, and partially defined by, a shocking act of violence 53 years ago.

To reiterate, five police officers were shot and killed and six injured in what appears to be a coordinated attack that targeted police officers in Dallas, Texas.

One suspect, who was cornered by officers for several hours, was killed when police detonated a bomb near the suspect after negotiations broke down.

The attack was carried out during a protest against police shootings attended by about 800 people.

The protests were spurred by shooting deaths of two black men in Louisiana and Minnesota. Their deaths were captured on camera, reigniting criticism of police.

Here’s more from The Guardian’s Oliver Laughland:

Dallas police chief David Brown told reporters at an early morning news conference: “The suspect said he was upset about Black Lives Matter,” during negotiations. “He said he was upset about the recent shootings, he was upset at white people. The suspect said he wanted to kill white people, especially white officers.”

“The suspect said that he was not affiliated with any groups and he stated that he did this alone. The suspect said other things that are part of this investigation,” Brown said.

A further three suspects are in police custody, but authorities declined to provide any further details.

Five police officers were killed and six injured as gunman opened fire on police from elevated positions during a protest in downtown Dallas. Two civilians were also injured.

The shooting marked the deadliest attack on law enforcement since 9/11 and threatened to inject yet more tension into the already divisive debate over racial disparities in US policing.”

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings also told reporters that an interfaith prayer vigil will be held at 1pm ET.

Police chief David Brown asked people to “pray” for the families who lost loved ones, including the five police officers shot and killed in the attack.

“Please, we need your support to be able to protect you from men like these, who carried out this tragic, tragic event. Pray for these families.

“I spoke with the families of the deceased and the injured. They are not having a good time trying to deal, absorb this, trying to understand why, and they need your prayers.”

Both Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and police chief David Brown emphasized that protests were peaceful, until the “ambush.”

Rawlings said that “we believe” in free speech. “These were peaceful protests”.

Brown said the shooter in En Centro told police he was not affiliated with any organization, and that he perpetrated the attack “alone”.

Brown went on to say that police officers protect democracy, called the ambush the work of a “coward”. Brown said Americans won’t alter the country’s democracy out of fear of these sorts of attacks.

“Our country is better than that.”

“All I know, is this must stop, this divisiveness between our police and our citizens,” said Dallas police chief David Brown.

Later in the press conference, Brown said, “We don’t feel much support most days. Let’s not make today most days.”

The mood of the press conference in Dallas was measured but somber. Dallas police chief David Brown told reporters:

“We’re hurting. Our profession is hurting. Dallas officers are hurting. We are heartbroken.”

He paused briefly, and told the media, “There are no words to describe the atrocity that occurred to our city.”

Dallas officials said shooter wanted to 'kill officers'

Officials in Dallas just held a press conference about the shooter with whom police were negotiating for hours. Here’s what they told reporters:

  • The shooter told police hostage negotiators he wanted to “kill officers” and “kill white people especially white officers”
  • The suspect was killed with a Dallas police bomb robot, which was sent in after negotiations broke down
  • The suspect told police that he had planted bombs, “IEDs”, which police would find
  • Dallas police said they will not release further information about the suspect because of the ongoing criminal investigation
  • Dallas officials did not take questions about the shooter, and the shooter has not been identified

Responding to a question about the shooter’s mental stability, Dallas police chief David Brown said:

He wanted to kill officers, and he expressed killing white people. He expressed killing white officers. He expressed anger for Black Lives Matter.

None of that makes sense. None of that is a legitimate reason to do harm to anyone.

Updated

Suspect told police he wanted to kill officers, 'white people'

Police chief David Brown has said that the suspect who was shooting at police, and with whom police were negotiating, told police some of his motives.

In Dallas police chief David Brown’s words:

The suspect said he was upset about Black Lives Matter. He said he was upset about the recent police shootings. The suspect said he was upset at white people the suspect said he wanted to kill white people, especially white officers.

Updated

“We’re not going to tell you anything about the suspects and we’re not going to answer any question on that,” said Mayor Mike Rawlings.

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings starts the press conference by saying little information about suspects will be released, and passes conference to police Chief David Brown.

The Dallas mayor, Mike Rawlings, has just started his news conference. We also expect an update from the city’s police chief.

Updated

The Dallas mayor, Mike Rawlings, is expected to begin a morning press conference at 8:30am ET.

While we wait for updates from the mayor, Dallas Morning News columnist Jacquielynn Floyd has reacted to shootings that killed five police officers, calling the killings “terrorism”.

Under the headline, “This is Dallas, this is our city, and we don’t let terrorism win,” she writes:

This is terrorism. This is what terrorists do.

It isn’t a war – not black against blue, or us against them. When a reported two gunmen opened fire Thursday night on police officers, on our police officers, they attacked us all ...

The peace was shattered by terrorism, a well-planned and barbaric attack on that peace. In purposely murdering police officers, these gunmen did not further any cause or make any kind of statement that civilized people can understand. They opened fire, literally, on human decency ...

No. It’s just terrible. It’s sickening, cowardly. It furthers no cause; it accomplishes nothing but misery and grief. It’s violence for the deranged love of violence itself, disguised beneath a political veneer.

To employ a Texas colloquialism, it’s chickens**t with a gun.”

Updated

Mayor: shot heard after suspect taken out by explosive

Mike Rawlings
Mike Rawlings
 Photograph: Tony Gutierrez/AP

Rawlings appeared to confirm that the suspect shot himself after being wounded by a police explosive.

Speaking to CNN he said: “We were able to take out one of the suspects who had been corned in a garage, with an explosive device. We have got possible suspects that we are interviewing. They are not being real cooperative at this point.”

Asked how the suspect was killed, Rawlings said: “There seemed to be gunshot some time after the explosion took place. We are going to have all that and make sure we have our I’s dotted and T’s crossed at our press conference this morning. We had a device that we robotically sent in – an explosive device. He was being very very bellicose and very saying he was going to take everybody out. He threatened other bombs. We felt that was the safest way to get him and it was.”

“We were very happy when we ware able to take this one suspect out,” Mayor Rawlings said.

Mayor Rawlings is on CNN. He confirms that a suspect was “taken out” by a police explosive device in the garage.

Rawlings said he could not disclose the race of the dead suspect. He confirmed that the female suspect is a “light skinned African American”.

Dallas Mayor: fourth suspect confirmed dead and 12 officers shot

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings has confirmed that the fourth suspect in a standoff with police has died.

Rawlings also said two civilians and 12 officers were shot, according to reports.

Trump response

Donald Trump has released an uncharacteristically measured response to the attacks. He tweeted:

The tweet is in marked contrast to his response to the Orlando mass shooting.

Updated

“CIVIL WAR,” says an incendiary front page of the New York Post following the shootings. A fifth police officer has been confirmed killed since the paper went to press.

Brent Thompson, the DART officer killed in the Dallas shootings.
Brent Thompson, the DART officer killed in the Dallas shootings. Photograph: Dartmedia/Twitter

Brent Thompson, the Dart officer who was killed in the attack, had recently married, according to his boss, Dart chief JD Spiller.

Talking to CNN, Spiller said Thompson was an “outstanding patrol officer ... we had the highest respect for him”. He added: “I just spoke to him a couple of weeks ago. He was in great spirits from his recent marriage and he was just great officer overall.

“This was an horrific event that took place, something that is totally out of character for the greater North Texas region. Our officers, along with the Dallas police officers, responded appropriately, making sure we took care of those protesters, getting them out of the way of fire, and then allowing other officers to come in to address those suspects.”

Updated

Europe’s two most senior officials have expressed their sorrow about the killings in Dallas, writes Laurence Rowley-Abel.

Speaking at the start of the Nato summit in Warsaw, Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European commission said:

“I would like to express my sympathy to the president of the United States and to the people of this great nation for the tragic events which happened yesterday night in Dallas, Texas. These events like others are proving and showing that we are living in a world which is developing increasingly to more complexity and to more uncertainty. The threats to our security take many forms and they are not located in any one place. Therefore our first duty is to show unity and to reaffirm the values we share. Human rights, freedom, democracy and the keystone on which the others rest, the rule of law. They go to the core of the EU Atlantic alliance, and they make us who we are and they guarantee our way of life.”

Juncker was speaking after Barack Obama gave his statement. Also at the press conference Donald Tusk, president of the European council, said:

“I want to say I am deeply sorry about what has happened in Dallas. We are with you in this as well as with the families and the loved ones of the victims. Sorry again.”

US president Barack Obama, European council president Donald Tusk and European commission president Jean-Claude Juncker attend a press conference on their meeting before the Nato summit in Warsaw, Poland
Barack Obama, European council president Donald Tusk and European commission president Jean-Claude Juncker attend a press conference before the Nato summit in Warsaw, Poland. Photograph: Jakub Kaminski/EPA

Updated

More mobile phone footage appears to show one of the suspected Dallas gunmen opening fire at someone who is believed to be a police officer. The policeman is then seen lying on the ground as the gunman walks away. On Thursday night five police officers were shot dead and at least six others were wounded when dozens of shots were fired during a downtown protest against violence.

Gunman opens fire on Dallas streets

The family of Misty McBride, one of the Dart officers wounded in the attack said she is recovering after being shot in the shoulder.

Here’s video of Obama condemning what he called a “a vicious, calculated and despicable attack on law enforcement”.

Barack Obama: Dallas shootings ‘a despicable attack’

Crime scene detectives are moving in after no explosives were found in two police sweeps.

The crime scene is “massive” according to Maj Max Geron of Dallas police.

Updated

What we know so far

Here’s what we know so far:

  • Five police officers have been killed and six more injured after shots were fired during an anti-violence protest in Dallas, Texas, on Thursday evening. One of the dead officers has been named as Brent Thompson, 43. He is the first Dart (transit) officer to be killed in the line of duty. Another was identified by his family as Patrick Zamarripa.
  • Barack Obama condemned the killings as “a vicious, calculated and despicable attack on law enforcement”. Speaking in Warsaw where he is attending a two-day Nato summit, the US president again called for gun control. “When people are armed with powerful weapons unfortunately it makes attacks like these more deadly and more tragic,” he said.
  • Three people have been detained by police: a woman who was stopped close to the garage, plus two people who were stopped in a dark Mercedes.
  • An armed standoff with a fourth suspect on a second-floor parking lot close to El Centro college, ended after local reports that the suspect killed himself. The suspect was said to have fired at police and claimed to have placed bombs in the city. Police chief David Brown said: “The suspect we are negotiating with … has told our negotiators that the end is coming and he’s going to hurt and kill more of us … and that there are bombs all over the place, here and downtown.”
  • No bombs have been found after two police searches. Maj Max Geron of Dallas police tweeted: “Primary and secondary sweeps for explosives are complete and no explosives found.”
  • Brown said police believed the four suspects had worked together to launch the attack, but he did not speculate on a motive for the shootings. He said the people in custody were not cooperating. “We are waiting for the suspects to break,” he said.
  • One civilian was also wounded: Shetamia Taylor, who was attending the protest with her sons, was shot in the leg but her injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
  • Mark Hughes, who was pictured holding a long rifle in a photo circulated by the police department, has been released after turning himself in. “I could easily have been shot,” he told CBS adding that he was not satisfied with a police apology after getting death threats on social media.
  • The motive for the killings is not known. The shootings came at the end of a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest sparked by the killing of two black men by police officers in separate incidents this week. Obama said: “We will learn more about their twisted motivations, but let’s be clear; there is no possible justification for these kinds of attacks or any violence against law enforcement.”

Updated

Donald Tusk, the president of the European council, who was standing alongside Obama during the press conference in Warsaw, has expressed his sorrow about the shootings:

Updated

Here’s video of the chaotic scene in Dallas after police came under attack during an anti-violence protest.

Gunfire is heard in downtown Dallas as the peaceful rally descended into chaos on Thursday night.

Updated

No bombs have been found after two police searches, according to Maj Max Geron of Dallas police.

One of the suspects told police that bombs had been left “all over the place” during a standoff at the El Centro parking garage. The suspect was later reported to have killed himself.

Extensive searches have been made for explosives, but so far none have been found, according to Geron.

Updated

A second police officer killed in the attack has been identified by his family as Patrick Zamarripa.

There has been no official confirmation of the name. Dallas Area Rapid Transit (Dart) confirmed that one of its officers, Brent Thompson, 43, was one of the five people killed in the attack.

Here are the key lines from Obama’s statement:

  • “What we do know is there has been a vicious, calculated and despicable attack on law enforcement.”
  • “According to police there are multiple suspects. We will learn more about their twisted motivations, but let’s be clear; there is no possible justification for these kinds of attacks or any violence against law enforcement.”
  • “Our police have an extraordinarily difficult job and the vast majority of them do their job in outstanding fashion. Today is a wrenching reminder of the sacrifices that they make for us.”
  • “We also know that when people are armed with powerful weapons unfortunately it makes attacks like these more deadly and more tragic.”
  • “As a nation, let’s remember to express our profound gratitude to our men and women in blue, not just today, but every day.”

Jay Z
Jay Z Photograph: Yui Mok/PA

Before the Dallas shootings, Jay Z released a new song in response to the police shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. PA reports:

The rapper said that he wrote song Spiritual a while ago, but never finished it. He released it on his streaming service Tidal on Friday along with a statement attacking police brutality.

He wrote: “Punch (Terrence Henderson, co-president of record label TDE) told me I should drop it when Mike Brown died, sadly I told him, ‘this issue will always be relevant’.” Black teenager Michael Brown was shot dead by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, in August 2014, sparking mass protests and rioting.

Jay Z added: “I’m hurt that I knew his death wouldn’t be the last ... I’m saddened and disappointed in THIS America – we should be further along. WE ARE NOT. I trust God and know everything that happens is for our greatest good, but man ... it’s tough right now.”

He ended by sending his blessings to the families of those that had lost loved ones to “police brutality” and included a quotation by African American social reformer Frederick Douglass.

Alton Sterling was shot in Louisiana on Tuesday after being pinned to the pavement by two white officers. A Minnesota officer shot Philando Castile dead while he was in a car with a woman and a child, just a day later.

Jay Z appears to have written the song at least two years ago, as his statement mentions the death of 18-year-old Brown in 2014. Lyrics include: “I am not poison, no, I am not poison. Just a boy from the hood that got my hands in the air. In despair, don’t shoot, I just wanna do good.”

He references his own daughter, Blue Ivy, writing: “Can’t even raise my little daughter, my little Carter. We call her Blue cause it’s sad that, how can I be a dad that, I never had that.”

Updated

Here’s the rest of Obama’s statement:

According to police there are multiple suspects. We will learn more about their twisted motivations, but let’s be clear; there is no possible justification for these kinds of attacks or any violence against law enforcement.

Anyone involved in these senseless murders will be held fully accountable. Justice will be done.

Yesterday, I spoke about our need to be concerned as all Americans, about racial disparities in our criminal justice system. I also said yesterday our police have an extraordinarily difficult job and the vast majority of them do their job in outstanding fashion.

Today is a wrenching reminder of the sacrifices that they make for us. We also know that when people are armed with powerful weapons unfortunately it makes attacks like these more deadly and more tragic. And in the days ahead we are going to have to consider those realities as well. In the meantime our focus is on the victims and their families.

Police across America – it’s a tight-knit family – feels this loss to their core, and we are grieving with them. As a nation, let’s remember to express our profound gratitude to our men and women in blue, not just today, but every day.

Updated

Here’s the start of Obama’s statement:

I spoke this morning with Mayor Rawlings of Dallas to convey the deepest condolences of the American people. I told him that the federal government will provide whatever assistance Dallas may need as it deals with this tremendous tragedy.

We still don’t know all the facts. What we do know is there has been a vicious, calculated and despicable attack on law enforcement. Police in Dallas were on duty doing their jobs, keeping people safe, during peaceful protests. These law enforcement officers were targeted and nearly a dozen officers were shot. Five were killed. Other officers and at least one civilian were wounded, some are in serious condition and we are praying for their recovery.

We are horrified over these events and we stand united with the people and the police department in Dallas.

Obama said the availability of automatic weapons makes attacks like this more likely.

This is a wrenching reminder of the sacrifices police make for us, Obama said.

Barack Obama speaks on the shooting in Dallas.
Barack Obama speaks on the shooting in Dallas. Photograph: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

The president is giving his reaction to the shootings. Obama described it as “tremendous tragedy” and offered the mayor of Dallas support and condolences. “We are horrified by these events, we stand by the police department in Dallas,” Obama says.

There is no justification for these attacks, he adds. “The police have an extraordinarily difficult job and the vast majority do their job in an outstanding way,” he said.

Updated

Meanwhile, tensions flared early Friday in St Paul, Minneapolis, after about 100 protesters and police officers squared off during a march for Philando Castile, the 32-year-old fatally shot by police on Wednesday, writes Ryan Felton.

The heated moments came just hours after four suspected snipers opened fire on police officers at an anti-violence protest in Dallas, leaving five dead and several wounded.

“There’s a whole different tension going on,” said Mica Grimm, an organiser of Black Lives Matter Minneapolis, when the standoff appeared to end.

Following a vigil on Thursday at the school where Castile worked, Grimm said a smaller group of roughly two dozen people broke away around 8pm CT, and began marching to Larpenteur Avenue and Fry Street, the intersection in nearby Falcon Heights about five miles away.

The group moved along a light-rail route, disrupting traffic and at one point halting transit service. Grimm said the crowd swelled to about 200 people along the way to the scene of Castile’s death.

When the group made the return trip, she said “there was a small group that was upset”. At one point, she said, someone smashed a window of a police cruiser, and, along Grand Avenue, storefront windows were broken by rocks. Police then quickly assembled.

As officers sought to push the protesters off Grand Avenue, Grimm claimed police fired two-three rubber bullets at the crowd – a moment captured on video and posted on Twitter. No one was hit, she said.

About 20 minutes later, she continued, protesters formed a line and linked arms in an effort to de-escalate the situation. “People started chanting, expressing how they felt about Black Lives Matter,” Grimm said.

Dozens remained outside the Minnesota governor’s residence, a sprawling property located in an affluent section of St Paul. Similar to the night before, the protesters planned to keep a presence outside the home of the Minnesota governor, Mark Dayton, through the night.

“People do plan on staying here all night,” said Grimm.

The situation felt significantly heated, she added, given the circumstances in Dallas were still unfolding. “What happened in Dallas is going to change everything,” she said.

Protesters march through the streets of St. Paul, Minnesota, after the death of Philando Castile
Protesters march through the streets of St Paul, Minnesota, after the death of Philando Castile. Photograph: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

Updated

Here’s a more detailed map and an aerial view of the scene of the shootings and the multi-storey car park where a fourth suspect exchanged fire with police.

Dallas shooting scene
Dallas shooting scene
Aerial view of Dallas shooting scene
Aerial view of Dallas shooting scene

Updated

Obama is about to speak about the shootings. The White House will be live streaming his remarks from Warsaw where is attending a two-day Nato summit.

Mark Hughes, the man who turned himself after a Dallas police named him as “person of interest” and released a picture of him carrying a gun, has been talking to the media after being released.

“I could easily have been shot,” he told CBS. He said he flagged down a police officer as soon as he was told he had been named as a suspect. He said he was interrogated for 30 minutes and accused the police of lying about his movements. “The system is trying to get me”, he said. Dallas police apologised to Hughes. He said he was not satisfied with this after getting death threats on social media.

Barack Obama, who is in Warsaw for a Nato a two-day summit, is expected to give a statement shortly. The president has been updated on the shootings, his spokesman said.

Our world affairs editor, Julian Borger, adds:

President Obama arrived in Warsaw for a two-day Nato summit just after midnight, but before the Dallas shootings. On arrival, he made some remarks at his hotel about earlier incidents in Minnesota and Baton Rouge involving police shooting black civilians, saying “We have seen tragedies like this too many times.” After dawn this morning, as news of Dallas came through, the White House spokesman, Josh Earnest issued a statement saying:

“The president has been updated on the shooting of police officers in Dallas. He asked his team to keep him updated on the situation as they get additional information.”

Updated

Dallas police officers have been filmed outside the Parkland hospital in Dallas, saluting their fellow officers who were killed in the attacks.

Updated

A senior Dallas police officer, Maj Max Geron, says extensive sweeps for bombs are being conducted across the city. Earlier, police said the suspect hold up at the El Centro car park, since reported dead, claimed bombs had been left “all over the place”.

Updated

Here’s a map showing the location of the shootings and the El Centro college car park where a fourth suspect is reported to have killed himself.

Dallas shootings map
Dallas shootings map

Updated

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (Dart) has released the names of three of its injured officers who are all expected to recover. They are: Omar Cannon, 44, Misty McBride, 32, and Jesus Retana 39.

Earlier, Dart confirmed that one of its officers, Brent Thompson, 43, was one of the five people killed in the attack.

Updated

The Dallas Morning News says that the fourth suspect in the El Centro college garage is reported dead.

Updated

There are several unconfirmed local reports that the fourth suspect hold up in the El Centro car park has killed himself. We cannot verify these reports and they have not been confirmed by the authorities, but reporters at the scene say the standoff is over.

This is now reported to be the deadliest day for US law enforcement since the 9/11 attacks.

Updated

What we know so far

  • Five police officers have been killed and six more injured after shots were fired during an anti-violence protest in Dallas, Texas, on Thursday evening.
  • Police have been engaged in an armed standoff with a suspect on a second-floor parking garage close to El Centro college. The suspect has fired at police and claims to have placed bombs in the city. Police chief David Brown said:

The suspect we are negotiating with … has told our negotiators that the end is coming and he’s going to hurt and kill more of us … and that there are bombs all over the place, here and downtown.

  • Three other people have been detained by police: a woman who was stopped close to the garage, plus two people who were stopped in a dark Mercedes.
  • Brown said police believed four people had worked together to launch the attack, but he did not speculate on a motive for the shootings. He said the people in custody were not cooperating:

We are waiting for the suspects to break.

  • One civilian was also wounded: Shetamia Taylor, who was attending the protest with her sons, was shot in the leg but her injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
  • Mark Hughes, who was pictured holding a long rifle in a photo circulated by the police department, has been released after turning himself in and is not believed to be a suspect.

Updated

Associated Press has this news on Shetamia Taylor, the only civilian reported to have been wounded in the shooting. She was shot in the leg but her injuries are not thought to be life-threatening:

A family member says a protester who was shot when snipers opened fire on police at a rally in Dallas was shielding her sons when she was injured.

A sister of 37-year-old Shetamia Taylor says Taylor was at the protests on Thursday night with her four sons, ages 12 to 17. Theresa Williams says that when the shooting began, Taylor threw herself over her sons. She was undergoing surgery early Friday after being shot in the right calf.

Williams says two of Taylor’s sons became separated from their mother in the chaotic aftermath. She says they’re now stuck behind a police barricade at a hotel near a parking garage where police exchanged gunfire with a suspect.

This is Brent Thompson, one of the five officers killed. He is the first Dart (transit) officer to be killed in the line of duty.

The four other officers killed, all from the Dallas police department, have not yet been named.

Dead officer named as Brent Thompson

One of the five officers shot dead has been named as Brent Thompson. He was a Dallas Area Rapid Transit (Dart) officer, aged 43, and had been an officer since 2009.

Dart said he was the first of its officers to have been killed in the line of duty.

Updated

Of the 11 officers shot on Thursday evening, five are confirmed to have died. Four were Dallas police officers and one a Dart (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) officer.

Updated

Fifth police officer has died

Confirmation that a fifth police officer shot in the attack has died.

'Suspect' released

Earlier in the evening, in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, police released an image of a man they said they were searching for as a suspect.

He is Mark Hughes, who turned himself in to police after his photo was circulated, and who has now been released.

His brother, Cory Hughes, who was one of the organisers of the protest, told media that Mark Hughes had not been involved in the attack and did not shoot anyone.

It is legal in Texas to carry a rifle.

Witnesses to the shooting – which erupted as protesters against police violence marched peacefully through downtown Dallas – have been talking about what they saw:

Dallas shooting witness tells of moment gunfire erupted

Updated

There are reports from the scene that explosions have been heard close to the site in El Centro where the suspect is engaged in negotiations with police.

Local reporters say it is possible that officers are using flash grenades but this has not been confirmed.

Many of the people who were taking part in the peaceful protest that was interrupted by the shooting are still in downtown Dallas, unable to leave because transport has been halted or delayed as the search continues for possible suspects.

A man engaged in a standoff with police has also reportedly claimed that bombs have been placed in the city.

Dallas residents stand near the scene where four officers were shot and killed.
Dallas residents stand near the scene where four officers were shot and killed. Photograph: Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

There are reports that some transport might begin again soon:

The parking garage (car park) where police are negotiating with the armed suspect is close to El Centro college, which has just issued this statement saying students and staff are “on lockdown” inside the building:

El Centro College at 801 Main in downtown Dallas and the El Centro Wellness Center remain on lockdown. Students and faculty are still in the main campus buildings, and two employees are on lockdown in the Wellness Center.

The campus was placed on lockdown at 8pm as a precaution before protesters reached the area; the shootings occurred approximately an hour later, according to news and police reports. The lockdown was announced using the public address system, and all exterior doors to the campus were locked at that time.

El Centro police officers were inside the complex as the lockdown occurred. The number of students and employees in the buildings is not known at this time.

Updated

Dallas police chief David Brown said earlier that at least two snipers had shot at officers “from elevated positions”.

Brown said the snipers appeared to have positioned themselves on perches at downtown garages during an orchestrated attack and “planned to injure and kill as many law enforcement officers as they could”.

In the most recent news conference, Brown said police now believed four people – three in custody, one in a standoff with officers – could have coordinated the attack.

Updated

Police chief David Brown described the armed standoff with the suspect that at that point – half an hour ago – had already been going on for 45 minutes. He said the man had exchanged gunfire with officers on the second floor of a garage (multi-storey car park).

Brown said the suspect had told them:

The end is coming and he’s going to hurt and kill more of us – meaning law enforcement – and that there are bombs all over the place in this garage and in downtown.

We are being very careful in our tactics so that we don’t injure or put anyone in harm’s way. We still don’t have a complete comfort level that we have all the suspects. So we will continue a very, very rigorous investigation and search of downtown … until we are satisfied that all suspects have been captured.

Updated

Texas senator Ted Cruz has offered support and assistance:

A temporary flight restriction (TFR) has been placed on aircraft over part of Dallas as negotiations continue between police and an armed suspect:

Police update: a summary

  • Dallas police are engaged in a standoff with an armed suspect in a garage. The suspect has fired at police and claims to have placed bombs in the city:

The suspect we are negotiating with … has told our negotiators that the end is coming and he’s going to hurt and kill more of us … and that there are bombs all over the place, here and downtown.

  • Three other people have been detained by police: a woman who was stopped close to the garage, plus two people who were stopped in a dark Mercedes.
  • Dallas police chief David Brown said police believed four people had worked together to launch the attack, but he did not speculate on any motive for the shootings. He said the people in custody were not cooperating:

We are waiting for the suspects to break.

  • Four officers – one Dart transit officer and Dallas three police officers – have died.
  • Seven other officers were shot and injured.
  • One civilian was also wounded.

Updated

Mayor Mike Rawlings said he would now be going to the hospital to visit the injured. He did not give an update on the health of the seven other officers who were shot.

Updated

Brown says police believe there were four people working together as “snipers”. But he won’t speculate on motive:

We are waiting for the suspects to break.

Updated

Four officers have died, he confirms: one Dart transit officer and three police officers.

Brown says he has never been more proud of his officers, who are at the scene “knowing we are vulnerable”. He says officers ran towards gunfire to help the injured.

Updated

Brown says officers are conducting searches of downtown “until we are satisfied that all suspects have been captured”.

He says two people stopped in a Mercedes earlier this evening are still being questioned.

Updated

The suspect we are negotiating with … has told our negotiators that the end is coming and he’s going to hurt and kill more of us … and that there are bombs all over the place, here and downtown.

Brown says police are “being very careful with our tactics”.

Police chief David Brown says officers are involved in negotiations with a suspect.

He says gunfire has been exchanged, and the standoff, which is ongoing on a second-floor garage, has been going on for 45 minutes.

A woman who was in the area is in custody, he adds.

Updated

Dallas police department news conference

Mayor Mike Rawlings and police chief David Brown are speaking now.

Rawlings says the White House and the Texas governor have offered assistance.

Updated

The front page of the Dallas Morning News has captured what we know so far of this unfolding situation:

Images from the scene show multiple police officers engaged in what is still thought to be an active situation. A number of people have been detained but officials have not said whether they believe they have caught the people involved.

A police department press conference is due soon. We will have all updates here.

Dallas police respond after shots were fired during a protest over recent fatal shootings by police in Louisiana and Minnesota, Thursday, July 7, 2016, in Dallas. Snipers opened fire on police officers during protests; several officers were killed, police said. (Maria R. Olivas/The Dallas Morning News via AP)
Dallas Police respond after shots were fired during a protest of fatal police shootings earlier this week in Louisiana and Minnesota, Thursday, July 7, 2016, in Dallas. Snipers opened fire on police officers during the protests; several officers were killed, police said. (Maria R. Olivas/The Dallas Morning News via AP)

Hundreds of people were gathered in Dallas on Thursday evening for a peaceful protests against the killings by police this week of Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota.

Gunfire broke out around 8.45pm. Video taken by people at the scene shows that as protesters were marching along the street, a series of shots rang out.

The crowd scattered, seeking cover.

Eleven officers were shot.

Dallas police department says it has detained two more people:

A DPD officer observed an individual carrying a camouflaged bag, walking quickly down Lamar St. The individual threw the bag in the back of a black Mercedes and the Mercedes sped off at a high rate of speed.

Officers followed the vehicle southbound on I-35E and performed a traffic stop at I-35E and Kiest. Police are questioning both occupants of the vehicle.

The Next Generation Action Network, which organised the peaceful protest in response to the killings by police of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, has described tonight’s violence as “cowardly acts”:

Next Generation Action Network (NGAN) expresses its condolences for the officers whose lives [were] lost following tonight’s peaceful protest.

NGAN organized a peaceful protest to address community concerns regarding two recent police involved shootings.

NGAN, nor its president, Minister Dominique Alexander do not condone violence in any form.

Shots were fired into a crowd taking the lives of 3* innocent people and injuring several others.

These cowardly acts were committed by individuals in no way affiliated NGAN.

[*The death toll has since risen to four officers killed.]

What we know so far

  • Four police officers have been killed after shots were fired during an anti-violence protest in Dallas, Texas, on Thursday evening.
  • Officials said 11 officers in total had been shot. Some are Dallas police department officers and some Dart transit officers.
  • A man holding a long rifle in a photo circulated by the police department has turned himself in, authorities said. It is not clear if he is a suspect in the attack.
  • Another man, whom police have described as a suspect, is in custody after a shoot-out with officers.
  • Authorities said a suspicious package has also been found.
  • The situation remains active.

The man in the widely circulated photo has turned himself in, according to police, who are now calling him a “person of interest”. In a previous tweet with his photo, the department called him a “suspect”.

A man who said he was the person of interest’s brother told a local news station that his brother was innocent and that he handed his gun over to police when the shooting happened.

“100% it’s not him,” the brother said, adding, “With him having an AR-15 with him, I said ... ‘give your gun to the cop so there’s no misidentification.’”

He said his brother brought the gun to the protest because “it is his right. He was simply exercising his right.”

Suspect in custody

Dallas police say an alleged suspect was “in a shootout” with Dallas SWAT officers and is now in custody. Police also say a “suspicious package” was discovered near the suspect.

The department’s bomb squad is investigating the package:

The Democratic National Committee has released a lengthy statement on the “shootings in Louisiana, Minnesota and Dallas”, which says, in part:

“These fatal confrontations are yet another reminder that similar incidents have been and continue to be a serious problem in our nation, and they expose a larger issue plaguing our criminal justice system.

“Although investigations are ongoing, we must take strong, decisive action now, and in the long term, to protect the innocent and eliminate any appearance or reality of racial bias in law enforcement.”

Regarding Dallas, the statement says: “While most protesters have made their voices heard peacefully, tonight’s shooting of officers in Dallas is unacceptable and a reminder that the time to address these tensions and find common ground is long overdue.”

Fourth officer killed

Another Dallas police officer has died, the department just announced.

Dallas mayor Mike Rawlings at a press conference urged the city to “come together” to support the police:

I ask everybody to focus on one thing and that is the Dallas police officers, their families, those that are deceased, those that are in the hospital fighting for their life. Let’s all come together and support our police officers.

And here’s Governor Greg Abbott’s statement:

11 officers hit, police investigating bomb threat

A total of 11 officers were hit, police announced at a press conference. Three died – two with the Dallas police department and one with Dallas Area Rapid Transit.

Police chief David Brown also said the department was investigating the suspects’ apparent threat to plant a bomb in downtown.

“We’ve got one of these suspects cornered,” he said, adding, “I need to get back.”

Police release suspect photo

Dallas police have released a photo of the suspect on Twitter, with the caption “Please help us find him!”

In a statement, the department said: “An intensive search for suspects is currently underway.”

[Edit: the man in the photograph, identified as Mark Hughes, turned himself in to police and was released. He is not now thought to be a suspect.]

Updated

Disturbing footage on social media captured when gunfire erupted and the aftermath as people ducked for cover:

The Dallas Morning News captured this photo from Baylor Hospital:

Here’s the current scene, where Homeland Security has arrived in Dallas:

Witnesses speaking to local television reporters have described a chaotic scene where rapid rounds of gunfire sent the crowd scrambling. Here’s how one witness described the situation to the local NBC affiliate:

People started dispersing and scattering. We heard more firecracker shots and more frenzy. We’re running and people are scared and holding their children. We keep running and I can’t even make it home. And everybody’s so upset and crying.

10 officers shot, 3 dead, police say

Two snipers fired shots at 10 officers, 3 of them have died, and no suspects are currently in custody, according to a newly released statement from the chief of police in Dallas.

The snipers shot from “elevated positions” during the protest. In addition to the three dead, two are in surgery and three are in critical condition, according to the statement.

The search is still underway.

One officer dead in Dallas

Violence and gunfire has erupted at police protests in Dallas, Texas as people across the country rally in response to the recent fatal shootings of black men by law enforcement. We’re following developments in downtown along with dramatic protests unfolding across the country.

In Texas, one officer has died and three others were hit, according to officials with Dallas Area Rapid Transit.

The rallies in Dallas and in cities across the US are a reaction to the deaths of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge on Tuesday and Philando Castile, on Wednesday in Minneapolis.

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