Dallas sniper attack: 5 officers killed, suspect identified

The ambush began with gunshots that killed five officers and sent screaming crowds scrambling for cover. It ended when a Dallas police bomb squad robot killed a gunman after negotiations failed.

Five police officers were killed and seven others were injured in the ambush. It was the deadliest single incident for U.S. law enforcement since September 11, 2001. Two civilians also were injured in the shootings, the Dallas mayor’s office said.
As officials condemned the attack Friday, details emerged about the suspect who died after a lengthy standoff with police in a parking garage.
The suspect told police negotiators that he was upset about recent police shootings, that he wanted to kill white people — especially white officers — and that he acted alone, the city’s police chief told reporters Friday.
Dallas sniper attack: 5 officers killed, suspect identified
By Faith Karimi, Catherine E. Shoichet and Ralph Ellis, CNN
Updated 1912 GMT (0312 HKT) July 8, 2016

Now Playing Chaos in Dallas as 12…
dallas police shooting chief david brown negotiating with suspect sot_00001104.jpg
Police: Suspect said he’s going to kill more
dallas police officers shot gunshots heard sot ctn_00000022.jpg
Gunshots ring out in Dallas, officers killed
People rally in Dallas, Texas, on Thursday, July 7, 2016 to protest the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.
Black motorist Philando Castile, 32, a school cafeteria worker, was shot at close range by a Minnesota cop and seen bleeding to death in a graphic video shot by his girlfriend that went viral Thursday, the second fatal police shooting to rock America in as many days. / AFP / Laura Buckman (Photo credit should read LAURA BUCKMAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Dallas shooting witness: People were trampled

Witness describes Dallas police officer getting shot
police officers shot dallas texas witness sot ctn_00010002.jpg
Dallas shooting witness: I heard about 20 gunshots
tx shooter witness_00000000.jpg
Dallas Witness: ‘Complete pandemonium’ after shooting

Disturbance in Dallas sends people running
active shooter police training orig_00004326.jpg
How police respond in ‘active shooter’ situations

When can police shoot?
TOPSHOT – Bystanders stand near pollice baracades following the sniper shooting in Dallas on July 7, 2016.
A fourth police officer was killed and two suspected snipers were in custody after a protest late Thursday against police brutality in Dallas, authorities said. One suspect had turned himself in and another who was in a shootout with SWAT officers was also in custody, the Dallas Police Department tweeted.
/ AFP / Laura Buckman (Photo credit should read LAURA BUCKMAN/AFP/Getty Images)Now Playing
Chaos in Dallas as 12 officers are shot
Law enforcement officials wait outside the emergency room entrance at Baylor University Medical Center.
Police: Suspect said he wanted to kill white officers
Bystanders stand near pollice baracades following the shootings.
Shooting at Dallas protest in 60 seconds
A Dallas police officer, who did not want to be identified, takes a moment as she guards an intersection in the early morning after a shooting in downtown Dallas, Friday, July 8, 2016. At least two snipers opened fire on police officers during protests in Dallas on Thursday night; some of the officers were killed, police said.
Desperate calls from Dallas officers during ambush

Video from balcony shows Dallas shooting
People rally in Dallas, Texas, on Thursday, July 7, 2016 to protest the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.
Black motorist Philando Castile, 32, a school cafeteria worker, was shot at close range by a Minnesota cop and seen bleeding to death in a graphic video shot by his girlfriend that went viral Thursday, the second fatal police shooting to rock America in as many days. / AFP / Laura Buckman (Photo credit should read LAURA BUCKMAN/AFP/Getty Images)
‘It looked like an execution’
dallas police officer shooting ground vo_00003228.jpg
See video of Dallas shooting
president obama reacts to dallas shootings from warsaw poland_00000000.jpg
President Obama reacts to Dallas shootings from Warsaw
dallas police shooting chief david brown negotiating with suspect sot_00001104.jpg
Police: Suspect said he’s going to kill more
dallas police officers shot gunshots heard sot ctn_00000022.jpg
Gunshots ring out in Dallas, officers killed
People rally in Dallas, Texas, on Thursday, July 7, 2016 to protest the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.
Black motorist Philando Castile, 32, a school cafeteria worker, was shot at close range by a Minnesota cop and seen bleeding to death in a graphic video shot by his girlfriend that went viral Thursday, the second fatal police shooting to rock America in as many days. / AFP / Laura Buckman (Photo credit should read LAURA BUCKMAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Dallas shooting witness: People were trampled

Disturbance in Dallas sends people running
active shooter police training orig_00004326.jpg
How police respond in ‘active shooter’ situations

When can police shoot?
TOPSHOT – Bystanders stand near pollice baracades following the sniper shooting in Dallas on July 7, 2016.
A fourth police officer was killed and two suspected snipers were in custody after a protest late Thursday against police brutality in Dallas, authorities said. One suspect had turned himself in and another who was in a shootout with SWAT officers was also in custody, the Dallas Police Department tweeted.
/ AFP / Laura Buckman (Photo credit should read LAURA BUCKMAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Chaos in Dallas as 12 officers are shot
Law enforcement officials wait outside the emergency room entrance at Baylor University Medical Center.
Police: Suspect said he wanted to kill white officers
Bystanders stand near pollice baracades following the shootings.
Shooting at Dallas protest in 60 seconds
A Dallas police officer, who did not want to be identified, takes a moment as she guards an intersection in the early morning after a shooting in downtown Dallas, Friday, July 8, 2016. At least two snipers opened fire on police officers during protests in Dallas on Thursday night; some of the officers were killed, police said.
Desperate calls from Dallas officers during ambush

Video from balcony shows Dallas shooting
People rally in Dallas, Texas, on Thursday, July 7, 2016 to protest the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.
Black motorist Philando Castile, 32, a school cafeteria worker, was shot at close range by a Minnesota cop and seen bleeding to death in a graphic video shot by his girlfriend that went viral Thursday, the second fatal police shooting to rock America in as many days. / AFP / Laura Buckman (Photo credit should read LAURA BUCKMAN/AFP/Getty Images)
‘It looked like an execution’
dallas police officer shooting ground vo_00003228.jpg
See video of Dallas shooting
president obama reacts to dallas shootings from warsaw poland_00000000.jpg
President Obama reacts to Dallas shootings from Warsaw
dallas police shooting chief david brown negotiating with suspect sot_00001104.jpg
Police: Suspect said he’s going to kill more
Story highlights
Officials: Feds believe Micah Xavier Johnson was only gunman in the ambush
“Americans … are feeling a sense of helplessness,” attorney general says
(CNN)The ambush began with gunshots that killed five officers and sent screaming crowds scrambling for cover. It ended when a Dallas police bomb squad robot killed a gunman after negotiations failed.

Investigators have identified the dead suspect: 25-year-old Micah Xavier Johnson of Mesquite, Texas. But they’re still trying to answer key questions. Chief among them: Are any other suspects on the loose?
Federal law enforcement officials believe Johnson was the only shooter in the ambush that began Thursday night, according to law enforcement officials briefed by the Dallas police.
Dallas police Chief David Brown earlier suggested that other suspects played a role, too.
“Through our investigation of some of the suspects, it’s revealed to us that this was a well-planned, well-thought-out, evil tragedy by these suspects,” Brown said at a prayer vigil for the victims Friday afternoon. “We won’t rest until we bring everyone involved to justice.”
The deadly gunfire erupted in Dallas as videos showing two African-American men shot by police in Louisiana and Minnesota spurred protests and debate over police use of force across the country.
Officers shot during Dallas protest
Photos: Officers shot during Dallas protest
Five police officers were killed and seven others were injured in the ambush. It was the deadliest single incident for U.S. law enforcement since September 11, 2001. Two civilians also were injured in the shootings, the Dallas mayor’s office said.
As officials condemned the attack Friday, details emerged about the suspect who died after a lengthy standoff with police in a parking garage.
The suspect told police negotiators that he was upset about recent police shootings, that he wanted to kill white people — especially white officers — and that he acted alone, the city’s police chief told reporters Friday.

“We saw no other option but to use our bomb robot and place a device on its extension for it to detonate where the suspect was,” Brown said. “Other options would have exposed our officers to grave danger. The suspect is deceased as a result of detonating the bomb.”
Law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation told CNN that Johnson was the dead gunman. He had no criminal record or known terror ties, a law enforcement official said.
He had served in the U.S. Army Reserve, training as a carpentry and masonry specialist, two U.S. defense officials said.
Wayne Bynoe, a neighbor, said police cars were outside Johnson’s home Friday. Johnson lived with his mother and “keeps to himself,” Bynoe said.
The Dallas police chief told reporters it’s too soon to speculate on the suspect’s motives, and it’s unclear whether more suspects are on the loose.
“We’re hurting. Our profession is hurting. There are no words to describe the atrocity that happened in our city,” he said. “All I know is that this must stop — this divisiveness between our police and our citizens.”

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch described the Dallas shootings as the latest in a series of tragedies that have left the country reeling.
“After the events of this week, Americans across the county are feeling a sense of helplessness, of uncertainty and of fear. Now, these feelings are understandable and they are justified,” she said, “but the answer must not be violence.”

The attack
Witnesses said protesters were marching peacefully in downtown Dallas when the gunfire started Thursday night.
The Rev. Jeff Hood, one of the protest organizers, said he saw two officers go down, then watched a sergeant running toward the gunfire.
“I ran the opposite direction. I was concerned about the 700 or 800 people behind me,” he said. “I was screaming, ‘Run! Run! Active shooter! Run!’ And I was trying to get folks out as fast as I could.”
Crowds ran into a parking garage, witnesses said, and spilled out after word spread a sniper was nearby.

“Everyone was screaming, people were running,” said witness Clarissa Myles. “I saw at least probably 30 shots go off.”
Police have said at least two snipers fired “ambush-style” from an “elevated position.” Then police exchanged gunfire and negotiated with a suspect for hours at a parking garage in downtown Dallas.
Before authorities killed him with an explosive, the suspect told negotiators more officers were going to get hurt, and that bombs had been planted all over downtown.
Police found no explosives during sweeps of the area, Dallas police Maj. Max Geron said Friday morning on Twitter.
The victims
Police have said at least 10 officers were shot by a sniper, and that one officer was shot in a shootout at the parking garage. It’s not clear where the 12th officer was shot.
Most of the injured officers have been released from the hospital, Brown told reporters. Their conditions are improving, Brown said, calling for the community to support them.
“We don’t feel much support most days. Let’s not make today most days,” Brown said. “Please, we need your support to be able to protect you from men like these, who carried out this tragic, tragic event.”
Dallas police Officer Patrick Zamarripa, a father of two, was one of the slain officers, according to social media posts from family members and reports from local media outlets. Military records show he was a U.S. Navy veteran who had been deployed to Bahrain as part of the Iraq War effort.
His brother shared a photo on Twitter with the caption: “Love you brother. Couldn’t be prouder. We’ll see you again. #PrayForDallas.”

The suspects
Brown said an investigation into the ambush continues. He would not say how authorities believe others in custody are connected to the shooting.
Previously, authorities had said three people were in custody, and that multiple shooters were involved in the attack.
“I’m not going to be satisfied until we’ve turned over every stone. We’ve got some level that this one suspect did do some of the shooting. But we’re not satisfied that we’ve exhausted every lead,” he said. “So if there’s someone out there who’s associated with this, we will find you, we will prosecute you, and we will bring you to justice.”
Asked about the gunman’s motive, Brown declined to speculate.
“We can’t get into the head of a person that would do something like this. We negotiated with this person that seemed lucid during the negotiation. 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,” Brown said. “None of that is a reason, a legitimate reason, to do harm to anyone. So the rest of it would just be speculating on what his motivations were. We just know what he said.”
The protests
The shootings occurred as many Americans nationwide took to the streets to demand answers over the killings of two black men in two days. They wept, marched and chanted, “Black Lives Matter!”
In St. Paul, Minnesota, crowds gathered near the spot where an officer killed Philando Castile in a car on Wednesday.

“We are targets,” LaRhonda Talley said in an impassioned speech in Minnesota. “We made it across the transatlantic. We made it to freedom and you’re still killing us. You’re still hanging us from trees. You’re still killing us. Our lives matter! My son’s life matters. He matters to me … just like everybody’s son matters to their mama.”
Hundreds of miles away, protesters marched outside a convenience store in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where Alton Sterling was fatally shot Tuesday while police tackled him in a parking lot.

In Dallas, protest organizers Friday condemned the violence and said that they never imagined someone would attack their peaceful demonstration.
Hood, one of the organizers, said he spent hours searching for his wife as chaos unfolded in the streets.
“Ultimately, I spent those three hours talking to people, asking the question, ‘Why? Why? Why is this happening? The only answer I know now, and the only answer I knew then, was turn to love, we’ve got to turn to love, we’ve got to stop shooting.”
When can police shoot?

Minnesota shooting
Both killings were captured on video and posted online.
In Minnesota, the shooting of Castile was remarkable — and heartbreaking — because his fiancée streamed the immediate aftermath live on Facebook.

As her 4-year-old sat in the back seat, Diamond Reynolds calmly narrated what was going on and showed viewers the dying man groaning and bleeding in the front seat.
Castile, a school food services worker, was shot in Falcon Heights, outside Minneapolis, when a police officer pulled him over because of a broken taillight, said Reynolds, who was in the car with him.
“He let the officer know that he had a firearm and he was reaching for his wallet and the officer just shot him in his arm,” she said as she broadcast the Wednesday shooting on Facebook.

“Oh God, please don’t tell me my boyfriend is dead,” she said.
Baton Rouge shooting
Sterling, 37, was killed Tuesday near a convenience store in Baton Rouge, where he regularly sold CDs and DVDs.
A homeless man approached Sterling on Tuesday and asked for money, becoming so persistent that Sterling showed him his gun, a source told CNN.

The homeless man called 911, and police arrived at the store. Police tackled Sterling to the ground, and shot him several times, video shows.
A law enforcement source told CNN that the officers pulled a gun from Sterling’s body at the scene. No further details were provided on the type of firearm.
The convenience store quickly became the site of protests. Flowers and signs piled up in a makeshift memorial. Protesters chanted “Hands up, don’t shoot,” the line made famous in the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Missouri, about two years ago. Brown was also shot by a police officer.
Most major cities, including Chicago and New York, held protests against police shootings Thursday night.