Dallas shooting: suspected gunman dead as ''black lives matter protest'' turns to chaos

 

US: A suspected gunmen believed to be one of the snipers who shoot and killed five police officers and wounded six others during a shooting in Dallas is reportedly dead, after he killed himself during an hour long stand-off with police.

Five police officers were killed and 6 wounded in a shooting during a Black Lives Matter protest following the recent fatal police shootings of black men int he US.

The shooting took place in downtown Dallas around 8.45pm just before the end of the rally.

According to Dallas Area Rapid Transit DART, three of the victims were Dallas police officers while a fourth was 43 year old Brent Thompson, a Dallas Area Rapid Transit officer who was killed in the line of duty.

Dallas Police Department Chief David Brown, during an earlier press conference said two snipers shot at “police officers from an elevated positions during the protest.”

Brown said authorities were negotiating with the suspect who was inside a garage and exchanging gun fire with officers.

“This suspect we’ve been negotiating with has been exchanging gunfire with us and has not been very cooperative in negotiations,” he said.

“The suspect ... has exchanged gunfire with us over the last 45 minutes and has told our negotiators that the end is coming, and he’s going to hurt and kill more of us.”

Brown said the suspect had said there were “bombs all over the place in this garage and in downtown.

“So we are being very careful in our tactics so that we don’t injure or put any of our officers in harm’s way, including the citizens of Dallas, as we negotiate further.”

Police earlier said a suspicious package had been found and was being protected by the bomb squad.

Brown claimed three other suspects had been apprehended by the police but said they didn’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.”

“We are likely to be working throughout the early morning hours of Friday until we are satisfied that all suspects have been captured and have an opportunity to be interviewed so that we can fully understand what’s motivated this attack on our officers.”

Brown also claimed the police arrested a woman who had been seen around the garage area.

“We followed a Mercedes with two suspects who had camouflage bags who officers ended up stopping on traffic,” he said. “They are in custody and being interviewed.”

The arrest comes as one of the transit officers who was shot but survived and was identified by her father as Misty McBride who said his daughter had been a transit officer for about five years, and was wounded in the shoulder and abdomen.

Brown confirmed 11 officers were shot by two snipers in downtown Dallas with four dead, three in critical condition, and two are in surgery.
Brown also warned:

“We also believe these suspects have threatened to plant a bomb in the downtown area.”

“Tonight it appears that two snipers shot 11 police officers from elevated positions during the protest/rally,” Brown said.

Firefighters and police were at the scene to keep people away.