Dallas Shooting Leaves Five Police Officers Dead

Deadly shootings in Dallas last night left five police officers dead and seven others were injured in the ambush. From 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.

Now investigators are trying to piece together answers to key questions: Who was responsible for the shootings, which began Thursday night during a protest against police violence and left parts of downtown Dallas under siege for hours? And are any other suspects on the loose?

The dead gunman was Micah Xavier Johnson, 25, of Mesquite, Texas, law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation told CNN.

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.

One of the officers killed has been identified.

Officers killed include one officer with DART, the Dallas Area Rapid Transit agency, which operates buses and commuter rail in the city and surrounding suburbs.

DART identified that officer as Brent Thompson, 43. He joined the transit agency in 2009, and was its first officer killed in the line of duty, DART tweeted.

Thompson got married two weeks ago to a fellow transit officer, DART police Chief James Spiller told CNN’s “New Day” on Friday.

The shootings occurred in the wake of the killing of two black men in two days by police officers. Philando Castile died after a Minnesota police officer shot him four times. His fiance, Diamond Reynolds, captured the aftermath on her cellphone.

“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,” Reynolds said as she broadcast the details of Wednesday’s evening shooting on Facebook. The graphic video can be watched at the link. Castille had been pulled over for a broken taillight. According to Reynolds, he told the officer he was armed and had a concealed carry permit. Her 4 year old daughter was in the back seat.

Alton Sterling was fatally shot Tuesday while police tackled him in a parking lot. Sterling was shot outside a Baton Rouge, Louisiana convenience store after an encounter with two police officers. The officers can be seen in a video pinning Sterling to the ground before shots were fired.

Ironically, the Dallas police department has worked hard training police officers to deal effectively with their communities, and it has paid off.

I don’t really have anything to say here, except that I would prefer blogging about silly reality shows and their alums, but the level of violence in the world right now demands our attention. Considering the recent killing of The Voice star Christina Grimmie at the hands of a deranged fan, even silly reality shows aren’t immune.

I’m posting this up today because it’s an important news story. I only ask that posters please be civil. We could all use more compassion and empathy.

About mj santilli 34869 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!