DALLAS (AP/MEDIA GENERAL) — Gunmen shot and killed five police officers and wounded seven others in Dallas Thursday night during a peaceful protest over fatal police shootings of black men in other states.
Police Chief David Brown blamed “snipers” and said three suspects were in custody while a fourth had exchanged gunfire with authorities in a parking garage downtown and told negotiators he intended to hurt more law enforcement officials. Early Friday, Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said the fourth suspect had died.
Police did not immediately identify any of the suspects or mention a possible motive.
The shooting began about 8:45 p.m. Thursday while hundreds of people were gathered to protest the fatal police shootings in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and suburban St. Paul, Minnesota.
Reaction to the shooting flooded social media, with the hashtags #Dallas and #DallasPoliceShooting trending by Friday morning. Below is a sampling of reaction from around the country.