Dallas Police Shooting Live Updates: Officers Shot Amid Black Lives Matter Protest, Obama Remarks

UPDATE: 2:45 p.m. EDT — The gunman who attacked 12 police officers Thursday night in Dallas was a member of several groups linked to the Black Panther Party, including the Huey P. Newton Gun Club, named after the co-founder of the black power group. Micah Xavier Johnson displayed the Pan-African flag on his Facebook page.

A member of the Huey P. Newton Gun Club said Johnson was not an active member.

“We’d never seen him and we don’t know him,” said Erick Khafre told the Los Angeles Times. “The gun club isn’t affiliated with him in any way.”

Johnson acted alone in the mass shooting that killed five police officers. His sister took to Facebook Friday to express her disbelief.

“I keep saying it’s not true. … My eyes hurt from crying,” Nicole Johnson wrote in a post on Facebook before deleting it. She later posted again.

“The news will say what they think, but those that knew him know this wasn’t like him,” she wrote. “This is the biggest loss we’ve had.”

UPDATE: 2:35 p.m. EDT — Dallas investigators were searching Friday the home where the gunman who killed five police officers this week reportedly lived with his mother. Micah Johnson, 25, lived in the Dallas suburb of Mesquite, about a half-hour drive from downtown Dallas.

A neighbor, Jowanda Alexander, said Johnson once complained that her daughter was "messing with his mailbox." "When he came he didn’t come aggressive, just real gentle and he seemed real nervous,," she told The Guardian. "It’s scary because you just never know who your neighbors are."

UPDATE: 2:02 p.m. EDT — Five slain police officers in Dallas include a man who had recently celebrated his 40th birthday, a newlywed and a veteran who had survived three tours in Iraq. They are Patrick Zamarripa, 32, a father who served in Iraq; Brent Thompson, 43, who got married last month and had children and grandchildren; and Michael Krol, 40, who moved to Dallas in 2007 to join the police department, USA Today reported.

UPDATE: 1:49 p.m. EDT — Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch urged Americans not to choose violence despite feeling uncertainty and fear after recent police shootings and the death of five police officers in Dallas.

"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," she said.

Read her full statement here.

UPDATE: 1:15 p.m. EDT — A U.S. Army veteran who served in Afghanistan never saw direct combat, according to media reports. Micah Johnson, 25, shot 12 police officers Thursday night because he was angry with white people and police officers who use excessive force, officials said.

UPDATE: 12:20 p.m. EDT — The police killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile in Louisiana and Minnesota drew outrage this week across the nation. But "Daily Show" host Trevor Noah said Thursday that protesters demanding more police accountability are not necessarily anti-police.

"It always feels like in America, it’s like, if you take a stand for something, you automatically are against something else," Noah said. "You shouldn’t have to choose between the police and the citizens that they are sworn to protect."

Watch his speech on police reform below.

UPDATE: 12:15 p.m. EDT — Leaders from across the political aisle are expressing concern after a gunman attacked 12 police officers in Dallas during a peaceful protest against excessive police force.

"The attack on police officers in Dallas last night is horrifying and despicable. We must as a nation stand against violence of all kinds," Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders tweeted.

Former President George W. Bush, who lives in Dallas, said he was heartbroken. "Murdering the innocent is always evil," he said in a statement.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada called the shooting, "a senseless, evil act."

UPDATE: 12:01 p.m. EDT — Orlando Police Chief John Mina said there was a "vague threat" Friday against the Orlando Police Department after five police officers were killed in Dallas during a peaceful protest. Mina said officials were investigating the threat, but he did not provide further details, local media reported.

"It is a dangerous job, but when you have people specifically targeting law enforcement it puts us on high alert," Mina said.

In Dallas, Micah Johnson, 25, was killed by police after he attacked officers Thursday night because he was angry with white people and law enforcement, officials said.

UPDATE: 11:39 a.m. EDT — A gunman who attacked police officers in Dallas Thursday night had military training. Micah Johnson, 25, was a U.S. Army veteran, Stars and Stripes reported.

UPDATE: 11:31 a.m. EDT — Members of the Congressional Black Caucus called for gun legislation and a ban on military-style assault weapons Friday after a gunman attacked police officers during a peaceful demonstration on police brutality in Dallas.

"America is weeping, they are angry, they are frustrated," said U.S. Rep. George Kenneth "G. K." Butterfield, Jr. of North Carolina.

UPDATE: 11:15 a.m. EDT — A white man who pulled a gun at an anti-police brutality rally in Oregon Thursday night is facing misdemeanor menacing and second-degree disorderly conduct charges. Michael Strickland, 36, was scheduled to be arraigned Friday.

Hundreds of people were gathered at the rally when he took out his gun. He told The Oregonian/OregonLive he was surrounded by "anarchists" who were pushing him. Strickland is involved with the YouTube channel Laughing at Liberals and is a Donald Trump supporter.

The scuffle unfolded as a gunman attacked 12 police officers, killing five, in Dallas Thursday night at a similar rally organized by supporters of the Black Lives Matter social justice movement.

UPDATE: 10:43 a.m. EDT — Media reports revealed Friday that the shooting suspect in a Dallas terror attack on police had claimed to be a U.S. Army Veteran. The suspect was identified as Micah Xavier Johnson, 25, a local resident.

Three other suspects — one woman and two men — were in custody after the Thursday night rampage that claimed five police officers' lives.

UPDATE: 10:30 a.m. EDT — A gunmen who attacked 12 police officers Thursday night in Dallas has been identified as Micah Johnson, CBS News reported. Johnson, 25, was a resident of the Dallas area and was killed in a standoff with police.

"The suspect said we will eventually find the IEDs," Dallas Police Chief David Brown said, a reference to explosives. "He wanted to kill officers. And he expressed killing white people, killing white officers, he expressed anger for Black Lives Matter."

"We saw no other option than to use our bomb robot and place a device on its extension to detonate where the suspect was," Brown said, adding that, "other options would have exposed our officers to grave danger."

Johnson had no known criminal history.

UPDATE: 10:11 a.m. EDT — Former Rep. Joe Walsh has become a target on Twitter after he wrote and then deleted a message calling for war against President Barack Obama.

"3 Dallas Cops killed, 7 wounded. This is now war. Watch out Obama. Watch out black lives matter punks. Real America is coming after you," tweeted Walsh, a former tea party congressman from Illinois and now a conservative talk radio host.

New York Times reporter Matthew Rosenberg urged people to retweet the message. "Joe Walsh decided to delete this tweet. So let's all retweet it," Rosenberg tweeted.

UPDATE: 10:01 a.m. EDT — Donald Trump blasted a mass shooting targeting police in Dallas as "an attack on our country" in a statement released Friday morning. Five police officers were killed and six wounded after snipers began firing with rifles from elevated positions near a rally being held downtown Thursday night.

"It is a coordinated, premeditated assault on the men and women who keep us safe," the presumptive GOP presidential nominee said.

Trump also responded to the deaths of two black men by police this week, calling them, "senseless, tragic deaths of motorists in Louisiana and Minnesota reminds us how much more needs to be done."

UPDATE: 9:43 a.m. EDT —The family of Alton Sterling, who was fatally shot by police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana this week, condemned Friday violence against police, Breakingnews.com reported.

"Regardless of how angry or upset people may be, resorting to this kind of sickening violence should never happen and simply cannot be tolerated. Members of law enforcement have a very difficult job and the vast majority conduct themselves honorably as they protect and serve our communities. We maintain that officers who violate the public trust and their training should be held accountable through our country's justice system. Responding to violence with violence is not the answer," the family said in a statement.

UPDATE: 9:30 a.m. EDT — Former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson said Friday it is inappropriate to discuss gun control after a mass shooting attack on police in Dallas. During an interview with "Fox and Friends" Friday morning, Carson predicted President Barack Obama would cite the shooting to call for gun control measures.

"I guess the real issue is, you know the president’s gonna start saying, 'See? Gun control,'" he said. "Now is definitely not the time to get political. Now is the time to use logic, and ask ourselves, 'Why do we have a Constitution? Why do we have a Second Amendment?'"

Carson said good police are crucial to a society. "So yes there are some bad apples, we’ll find ways to deal with them. In no way do we indict the entire police force," Carson said.

Hillary Clinton's daughter, Cheslea, also weighed in on the attack.

UPDATE: 9:22 a.m. EDT — Officials will hold a prayer Friday at noon local time to honor those killed and injured in a mass attack on police during a peaceful protest Thursday night in downtown Dallas.

UPDATE: 9:14 a.m. EDT — Hillary Clinton released a statement Friday praising officers for their service after five police officers were killed in Dallas in a mass shooting. Her statement came after a tweet from Donald Trump and as President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden stayed silent on social media about the attack.

UPDATE: 9:10 a.m. EDT — Celebrities on social media are calling for prayers and an end to violence after five police officers were killed in Dallas Thursday by a suspect who was angry over police killings.

UPDATE: 8:56 a.m. EDT — Dallas police Chief David Brown said the suspect in a mass shooting on police was angry over police brutality. He also was mad with white people.

"He wanted to kill officers... he expressed anger for Black Lives Matter," Brown said in a press conference Friday morning. At least 12 officers and two civilians were shot in the attack.

UPDATE: 8:47 a.m. EDT — Donald Trump has cancelled a mass rally in Miami Friday aimed at Latino voter turnout after five police officers were killed in Dallas. Meanwhile, the New York Stock Exchange plans to observe a moment of silence at 9:20 am in honor of the dead.

UPDATE: 8:42 a.m. EDT — A suspect who died after a violent standoff with police in Dallas Friday said he carried out a mass shooting that claimed five officers' lives by himself. The suspect told police he was angry with white people and police after recent high-profile attacks on unarmed black men by police, Dallas police Chief David Brown said. The suspect died after police detonated a robotic explosive.

UPDATE: 8:20 a.m. EDT — Relations between Dallas police and the community they served was tense long before a mass attack on law enforcement Thursday night in the city's downtown. Dallas had the third-highest rate of fatal police shootings in major cities from 2010 through 2014, according to a report last year from the Chicago-based Better Government Association. The nation’s ninth-largest city saw 34 fatal police shootings in that time.

Another report released in April showed Dallas police officers used force more than 2,200 times in 2015. That included shootings, the use of pepper spray and the use of a baton.

UPDATE: 8:05 a.m. EDT — Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said Friday that of the 12 police officers attacked in a mass shooting during a protest, two were women. At least two civilians were also shot.

UPDATE: 7:59 a.m. EDT — Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau expressed solidarity with the United States Friday after five police officers were killed in Dallas. "Canadians are shocked by the cowardly attacks against police in Dallas. Our solidarity is with all victims of violence on this tragic week," he said on Twitter.

UPDATE: 7:45 a.m. EDT — A suspect who engaged in a violent standoff with police had died, Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said. The motive of the attack that killed five police officers remains unknown.

UPDATE: 7:35 a.m. EDT —Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he was watching the situation in Dallas after five police officers were killed.

UPDATE: 7:20 a.m. EDT — The names of the five officers killed in Dallas Thursday night are starting to be released to the public. Among the dead is Brent Thompson, who had recently married, according to his boss, Chief JD Spiller of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit authority.

Thompson was an "outstanding patrol officer ... we had the highest respect for him," Spiller told CNN. "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."

UPDATE: 7:10 a.m. EDT — Local streets in downtown Dallas will remain shut down to the public Friday as police continue to investigate a mass shooting that took five officers' lives.

UPDATE: 6:56 a.m. EDT — Rapper Jay Z has released a new song about police shootings after the deaths this week of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. He released it on his streaming service Tidal Friday hours after five officers were killed in Dallas in a mass shooting.

"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 said.

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."

UPDATE: 6:45 a.m. EDT — President Barack Obama called a mass attack on police officers in Dallas Thursday night a "tremendous tragedy."

"We are horrified by these events, we stand by the police department in Dallas," Obama said. "The police have an extraordinarily difficult job and the vast majority do their job in an outstanding way."

UPDATE: 6:30 a.m. EDT — The bodies of several dead police officers were moved from a local hospital Friday to the area medical examiner’s office.

UPDATE: 5:50 a.m. EDT — A man who was falsely identified as a suspect in a mass police shooting Thursday night in Dallas said he was worried for his life after police released a picture of him. Mark Hughes was seen carrying a gun during a peaceful protest before the shootings.

"I could easily have been shot," he told CBS. "The system is trying to get me," he added.

UPDATE: 5:30 a.m. EDT — At least one civilian was shot during a mass attack on police Thursday night in Dallas. The Associated Press reported that Shetamia Taylor was shot in the leg and has non-life-threatening injuries. When the shooting started, Taylor reportedly rushed to cover her sons as they were attending a protest downtown against police brutality.

UPDATE: 4:56 a.m. EDT — Dallas police Chief David Brown said at least two snipers attacked officers "from elevated positions" in the deadliest day for law enforcement since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The gunmen "planned to injure and kill as many law enforcement officers as they could," he said.

UPDATE: 4:20 a.m. EDT — Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings called Thursday night’s shooting aimed at local police the "worst nightmare" after five officers were killed.

"It is a heartbreaking moment for the city of Dallas," Rawlings told a press conference.

Texas Sen. Texas Cruz, meanwhile, said he is praying for the police officers who were attacked Thursday night in Dallas.

UPDATE: 3:45 a.m. EDT — Dallas police Chief David Brown described a tense standoff between officers and a suspect Friday night hours after sniper attacked at least 10 officers, killing five. Brown said the suspect had been cornered in a second-floor garage and gunfire had been exchanged.

UPDATE: 3:15 a.m. EDT — Dallas police said Friday a fifth officer was killed in a mass shooting that unfolded during an anti-police brutality protest.

UPDATE: 2:02 a.m. EDT — Dallas police said Friday there were questioning suspects who sped off in a black Mercedes after a mass attack on police officers during a protest downtown.

UPDATE: 1: 20 a.m. EDT — The Next Generation Action Network, which organized the peaceful protest in Dallas Thursday night where shooters attacked police officers, called the mass shooting "cowardly acts," The Guardian reported. The group put out a statement that read: "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."

UPDATE: 12: 23 a.m. EDT — A person of interest in the shooting of Dallas police officers has turned himself in and another alleged suspect involved in the shootout is in custody, Dallas Police Department said in a statement posted on Twitter. The shooting happened during Black Lives Matter protests in the city following the killings of two black men — Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota.

UPDATE: 12:17 a.m. EDT — At least four police officers were killed Thursday night in a mass shooting in downtown Dallas. Earlier reports said at first two officers were shot. Later reports said 10 officers were hit. The death toll climbed from one to two to three officers before Dallas officials said four had been killed. The suspects remained at large.

UPDATE: 12:12 a.m. EDT — Suspects in a mass shooting targeting police officers Thursday night in downtown Dallas threatened to have left a bomb in the city, according to media reporters. Police were searching for the bomb after at least 10 officers were shot by two gunmen.

"Tonight it appears that two snipers shot ten police officers from elevated positions during the protest/rally," Dallas Police Chief David Brown said in a statement. "Three officers are deceased, two are in surgery and three are in critical condition. An intensive search for suspects is currently underway. No suspects are in custody at this time."

UPDATE: 12:03 a.m. EDT — Police said they are looking for a black suspect in the mass shooting of 10 police officers in downtown Dallas Thursday night during a protest against police brutality against blacks and Latinos. His name was not released to the public.

UPDATE: 11:57 p.m. EDT —Texas Gov. Greg Abbott urged the nation to remain united Thursday night after two gunmen attacked 10 police officers during a protest in downtown Dallas. His office tweeted out:

UPDATE: 11:50 p.m. EDT — Bishop Kevin Farrell of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas expressed remorse Thursday night after three police officers were killed by what appeared to be two snipers in downtown Dallas. The shooters reportedly remained at large.

UPDATE: 11:42 p.m. EDT — At least three police officers were killed Thursday night in Dallas when about 10 officers were shot at by two unidentified snipers during an anti-police brutality protest. The mass shooting left three officers in critical condition and two others in surgery. No suspects were immediately taken into custody.

UPDATE: 11:38 p.m. EDT — Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Thursday night he was waiting for more details in a shooting that killed one police officer and left three more injured Thursday in downtown Dallas.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the police officers who were shot in #Dallas tonight," he tweeted.

UPDATE: 11:34 p.m. EDT — A police officer was killed and three officers were injured after gunfire broke out at a protest Thursday night in downtown Dallas. Supporters of the Black Lives Matter social justice movement had gathered to protest police killings before gunfire erupted and people run away from the area in a panic.

"Everyone just started running," Devante Odom, 21, told the Dallas Morning News. "We lost touch with two of our friends just trying to get out of there."

Carlos Harris, a downtown resident, said the shooters "were strategic. It was tap tap pause. Tap tap pause," The Associated Press reported.

UPDATE: 11:28 p.m. EDT — Police Sr. Corporal Debra Webb said Thursday night in a statement that officers remained on duty at what was "clearly still an active scene" amid reports that multiple officers had been shot in downtown Dallas.

The shootings came at the end of an anti-police brutality protest where supporters of the Black Lives Matter social justice movement chanted, "The people united, never be divided" and "Hands up don't shoot," The Associated Press reported. Demonstrators gathered after a Minnesota officer fatally shot Philando Castile Wednesday while he was in a car with his girlfriend and a child. A Facebook video of the shooting was shared widely. Another black man, Alton Sterling, was killed in Louisiana Tuesday after being stopped by two white officers.

Similar protests were held around the nation Thursday, including in New York City and in Washington, D.C.

UPDATE: 11:20 p.m. EDT — The shooting of several police officers in Dallas Thursday night came hours after President Barack Obama blasted law enforcement officers who target blacks and Latinos. He called for action after the police killings this week of two black men in Minnesota and Louisiana.

"They’re symptomatic of a broader set of racial disparities that exist in our criminal justice system. And I just want to give people a few statistics to try to put in context why emotions are so raw around these issues," he said. "According to various studies -- not just one, but a wide range of studies that have been carried out over a number of years -- African Americans are 30 percent more likely than whites to be pulled over. After being pulled over, African Americans and Hispanics are three times more likely to be searched."

He later added: "There is no contradiction between us supporting law enforcement -- making sure they’ve got the equipment they need, making sure that their collective bargaining rights are recognized, making sure that they’re adequately staffed, making sure that they are respected, making sure their families are supported -- and also saying that there are problems across our criminal justice system, there are biases -- some conscious and unconscious -- that have to be rooted out."

Watch Obama's remarks below:

UPDATE: 11:10 p.m. EDT — As Dallas police officers investigated a shooting at an anti-police brutality protest Thursday night, officials in Minnesota identified the officer in the fatal shooting of Philando Castile in Falcon Heights as Jeronimo Yanez. The death filmed by Yanez's girlfriend gained national attention Thursday and saw many Democrats, celebrities and activists demand greater police accountability in a year when more than 500 people have been killed by police.

Original story:

Shots rang out during a protest in Dallas Thursday night as supporters of the Black Lives Matter social justice movement gathered to protest officer-involved shootings in Louisiana and Minnesota this week that saw police kill two unarmed black men.

The peaceful protest at Belo Garden Park in Dallas attracted hundreds of demonstrators and was wrapping up when shots were fired at about 9 p.m. local time. At least two Dallas police officers were shot in the attack, a local NBC News station reported. Someone yelled, "run," and chaos broke out, a witness said. The extent of the injuries was unknown.

It's unclear how many people were shot. Details about any possible suspects were not immediately made public. Public transportation was suspended amid the investigation.

News reporters indicated there might be an active shooter in the area. Media were asked to leave and find shelter. CBS DFW live video showed police responding to multiple scenes amid reports of a suspect with a rifle-type weapon.

Reports said one of the officers was transported to a local hospital for care.

The shootings unfolded after President Barack Obama said he was troubled by law enforcement officers who target blacks and Latinos.