Snipers kill 5 police officers 'ambush style' at Dallas protest, several wounded

The gunman who died following a standoff with Dallas police said he "wanted to kill white people, especially white police officers," police Chief David Brown told reporters in the aftermath of last night's deadly rampage in the Texas city. 

The gunman, whose name has not been released, also told officers he was angry about the recent spate of police shootings, and that he was not affiliated with any other group, Brown said Friday morning. 

Police say the man was one of the snipers who opened fire on officers in the heart of Dallas last night, killing five and wounding at least five others during protests over two recent fatal police shootings of black men in two other states.

Three suspects were taken into custody amid the carnage, though it is not clear how many snipers were involved. The fourth suspect died after exchanging gunfire with authorities in a parking garage downtown. 

During the standoff that followed, Brown said the man told police he was upset at white people, and also claimed to have planted explosives in the area. 

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He died when police sent in a robot armed with an explosive, Brown said. 

"Other options would have exposed our officers to grave danger," Brown told reporters. 

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said earlier that police swept the area after the standoff ended and found no explosives.

Rawlings told CBS News that 12 officers and two civilians were shot. 

None of the suspects were identified, and the police chief said he would not disclose any details about them until authorities were sure everyone involved was in custody. 

Brown said police were not certain that all suspects had been located.

The gunfire broke out around 8:45 p.m. CT Thursday while hundreds of people were gathered to protest fatal police shootings this week in Baton Rouge, La., and St. Paul, Minn. 

Brown told reporters earlier that the snipers fired "ambush style" upon the officers. 

Video footage from the Dallas scene showed protesters were marching along a street in downtown, just under a kilometre from city hall, when the shots erupted and the crowd scattered, seeking cover.

WARNING: This video contains images and audio that some may consider disturbing

SOMEONE GOT SHOT I CAMT STOL CEYINTN pic.twitter.com/oZ9wuXqtbP

— ️ (@bhuwkls) July 8, 2016

Brown said it appeared the shooters "planned to injure and kill as many officers as they could."

The search for them stretched throughout downtown, an area of hotels, restaurants, businesses and some residential apartments. The area is only a few blocks away from Dealey Plaza, where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. Some of officers Thursday were taken to Parkland Hospital.

'Everyone just started running'

The scene was chaotic, with helicopters hovering overhead and officers with automatic rifles on the street corners.

"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, who lives downtown, told the newspaper that the shooters "were strategic. It was tap, tap pause. Tap, tap pause," he said.

One woman was taken into custody in the same parking garage where the standoff was ongoing, Brown said. Two others were taken into custody during a traffic stop.

Brown said the snipers "triangulated" in the downtown area where the protesters were marching and had "some knowledge of the route" they would take.

Video posted on social media appeared to show a gunman at ground level exchanging fire with a police officer who was then felled.

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Obama: 'No possible justification' 

U.S. President Barack Obama said early Friday that America is "horrified" over the shootings.

Speaking from Warsaw, where he's meeting with leaders of the European Union and attending a NATO summit, Obama said justice will be done and he's asking all Americans to pray for the fallen officers and their families.

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He also said the nation should express its gratitude to those serving in law enforcement.

"Let's be clear, there is no possible justification for these kinds of attacks," he said.

Protests were also held in several other cities across the country Thursday night after a Minnesota officer on Wednesday fatally shot Philando Castile while he was in a car with a woman and a child.

The aftermath of the shooting was livestreamed in a widely shared Facebook video. A day earlier, Alton Sterling was shot in Louisiana after being pinned to the pavement by two white officers. That, too, was captured on a cellphone video.

Black Lives Matter also condemned the shootings, saying via Twitter the grassroots organization "stands for dignity, justice and freedom. Not murder."

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Slain officer ID'd

Four of the officers who were killed were with the Dallas Police Department, a spokesman said. One was a Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) officer. The agency said in a statement that 43-year-old Brent Thompson was the first DART officer killed in the line of duty since the agency formed a police department in 1989.

"Our hearts are broken," the statement said.

Theresa Williams told The Associated Press that her sister, 37-year-old Shetamia Taylor, was wounded.

Williams said her sister was at the protests with her four sons, ages 12 to 17.

When the shooting began, Taylor threw herself over her sons, and was shot in the right calf, Williams said, adding Taylor was undergoing surgery early Friday.

A statement by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he has directed the Texas Department of Public Safety director to offer "whatever assistance the City of Dallas needs at this time."

"In times like this we must remember — and emphasize — the importance of uniting as Americans," Abbott said.

Other protests across the U.S. on Thursday were peaceful. In midtown Manhattan, protesters first gathered in Union Square Park where they chanted "The people united, never be divided!" and "What do we want? Justice. When do we want it? Now!"

In Minnesota, where Castile was shot, hundreds of protesters marched in the rain from a vigil to the governor's official residence.

Protesters also marched in Atlanta, Chicago and Philadelphia.

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