UPDATE 16:41pm
The suspect who exchanged fire with police has been identified as 25-year-old Micah Xavier Johnson from Mesquite. He had no criminal record or known ties to terrorism. He was killed when a police robot detonated an explosive in a parking garage, not through shooting himself.
UPDATE 14:07pm 8/7/16
The Guardian has just updated their live feed with what the shooter told police as they were negotiating. Dallas officers told reporters that the shooter told police negotiators that he wanted to “kill officers” and “kill white people especially white officers”.
Five police officers were killed and six others were injured by snipers last night, during protests calling for justice after the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philandro Castille.
Here’s how it unfolded. Firstly, gunfire broke out at the protests, with live news reports catching the shots on film. The Dallas police chief said that it looked like snipers opened fire on police at the demonstration – this is when the first four officers lost their lives and another six were injured.
Police then took two men into custody, after an officer saw someone throw a bag into the back of a car and drive off. Another suspect was stuck in a stand off with police in a downtown parking garage, exchanging gunfire. Police were negotiating with him while a woman joined the two men in custody.
To avoid him being shot, the brother of Mark Hughes (pictured in the below tweet), approached police to defend him after the image circulated. Hughes was taken into custody, but was released later. Watch them discuss the experience here.
A fifth officer was then pronounced dead, before the suspect in the stand-off reportedly shot himself in the head [updates at top of article]. A suspicious package was found near the suspect but Major Max Geron of the Dallas police tweeted that “Primary and secondary sweeps for explosives are complete and no explosives found.” A video of the suspect’s standoff was posted online.
Civillian Shetamia Taylor was caught in the crossfire as the snipers shot. She was struck in the calf while shielding her four sons from the shots.
Singer Etta Bond has announced a protest at the Southbank Skatepark tonight (Friday 8th July), SE1 8XZ, at 6:30pm.
The protest comes as one of a handful started by the Black Lives Matter London movement.
Last night at Beyoncé’s show in Glasgow, the singer displayed the names of the victims of police brutality behind her and her dancers during a minute silence, as well as releasing a statement on her website.