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UPDATED: Friday, July 8, 12:30 PM EST

Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced on Friday that the DOJ will offer assistance into the Dallas police shooting investigation, according to a news release.

The shooting left five officers dead and seven others injured.

She opened her presser by saying, “This has been a week of profound grief and heartbreaking loss,” the release says. “The peaceful protest that was planned in Dallas last night was organized in response to the tragic deaths of Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota.”

“After the events of this week, Americans across the county are feeling a sense of helplessness, of uncertainty and of fear. These feelings are understandable and they are justified. But the answer must not be violence. The answer is never violence. Rather, the answer must be action: calm, peaceful, collaborative and determined action. We must continue working to build trust between communities and law enforcement.”

In response to the shootings, President Obama ordered flags at half-mast:

SOURCES: DOJ | PHOTO CREDIT: Twitter


UPDATED: Friday, July 8, 11:30 AM EST

The Washington Post reports the man who died Thursday morning after a deadly police shootout has been identified as Micah Xavier Johnson, 25, a Dallas resident.

The Los Angeles Times writes:

Johnson had no known criminal history or ties to terror groups, the official said, and has relatives in Mesquite, Texas, which is just east of Dallas.The official said federal agents were assisting Dallas authorities in the investigation.

Story is developing.

SOURCES: The Washington PostLos Angeles Times | PHOTO CREDIT: Twitter


Five Dallas officers were fatally shot, while seven others, including two civilians, were injured at a protest Thursday over two recent fatal police shootings.

Here is what we know:

  • Protesters were gathered in downtown Dallas on Thursday evening to protest the police shooting deaths of two Black men. Alton Sterling, 37, was gunned down in Baton Rouge on Tuesday evening, his shooting broadcast over social media. On Wednesday, another post showing the aftermath of 32-year-old Philando Castile‘s death was posted to Facebook Live stream by his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds. He was shot by an officer at a traffic stop.
  • Around 9 p.m., shots broke out in Dallas during the protests, scattering the assembled crowd, according to Vox.
  • Eleven officers were shot from elevated locations along the protest route, Dallas police report.
  • Five officers are dead, one was a Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) officer named Brent Thompson, age 43, according to The Guardian. He is the first DART officer to be killed in the line of duty.
  • The other four officers killed in the line of duty served on the Dallas police force. The Guardian reports that one of the officers has been identified by family as Patrick Zamarripa.
  • Civilian Shetamia Taylor was shot in the leg while protecting her sons who she attended the protest with. She is currently at a local hospital recovering from her injuries.
  • Three people have been detained by the police. A fourth suspect engaged in a gun fight with officers in a parking garage at El Centro Community College into the morning. The suspect warned officers that the “end is near,” and also voiced several bomb threats, saying, “there are bombs all over the place in this garage and downtown.” He also expressed anger with the Black Lives Matter movement and said he wanted to kill White police officers.
  • According to NBC News, Dallas Police Chief David Brown told the media that the fourth suspect was killed around 2:45 a.m. after police detonated a device. Chief Brown also relayed that the suspect said he “wanted to kill white people, especially white officers,” and was upset about the Black Lives Matter movement. He expressed he was not affiliated with any group and acted alone, NBC News reports.
  • Chief Brown reported that it is unclear exactly how many people were involved.
  • One man was mistakenly identified as the suspect, but protesters took to social media to prove that he was not involved with the shooting. The man, Mark Hughes, turned himself into police after the DPD tweeted a photo of him at the rally wearing a rifle across his chest. Texas is an open carry state.
  • Police have labeled the area an active crime scene and the ATF and FBI are also investigating, according to Vox.
  • As of now, authorities have swept the area and found no evidence of explosives.
  • President Obama condemned the shooting from Poland where he is attending a NATO summit, saying, “We still don’t know all the facts, we do know there’s been a vicious, calculated and despicable act on law enforcement. I believe I speak for every American when I say we are horrified.” 

For our continued coverage on the shooting, click here.

SOURCE: VoxThe GuardianNBC News | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty, Twitter

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