A heartbreaking morning, for both Dallas and the nation. It’s Friday, and here are the 5 things you need to know about the police shootings.
1. Dallas officers killed
Snipers killed five police officers last night in Dallas, the deadliest assault on U.S. police since the 9/11 attacks. The shots, and chaos, rang out near the end of a march through downtown by people peacefully protesting the recent shooting death of two black men in Louisiana and Minnesota. One of the suspects is dead, after being holed up in a parking garage and exchanging gunfire with police. Three people are in custody, but police just don’t know yet how many suspects they’re dealing with. President Obama called the shootings “vicious, despicable” and “calculated.”
2. Eyewitness accounts
“It looked like an execution,” said Ismael Dejesus, describing what he saw when he poked his head out of his hotel balcony in downtown Dallas and saw a man kill a police officer. “He stood over (the police officer) after he was already down and shot him maybe 3-4 times in the back.” Michael Kevin Bautista live-streamed the chaos on Facebook, as shots are heard ringing out and officers are seen running with guns drawn. Another witness saw people getting trampled as protesters scrambled after the shooting started.
3. Nationwide protests
The violence in Dallas came near the end of a peaceful demonstration against the fatal shooting of two black men by police in Louisiana and Minnesota. There were protests all across the nation last night, including in Washington, where demonstrators sang “We Shall Overcome” outside the U.S. Capitol; in New York, where people jammed Times Square and about a dozen were arrested; in Atlanta, where protesters blocked a downtown interstate and in Chicago, Philadelphia and Oakland.
4. Philando Castile
Most people learned about the shooting death of Philando Castile in Minnesota through the dramatic Facebook live-stream made by his fiancee, Diamond Reynolds, moments after a police officer shot him. Reynolds, grieving and angry, later gave her account of the shooting, saying police stopped her and Castile for a broken taillight and shot her fiancee as he complied with a request to give his license and registration. She accused police of murdering Castile right before her eyes. President Obama weighed in on Castile’s death and the fatal shooting of Alton Sterling, calling the incidents “tragedies” and demanding that the country as a whole “do better.”
5. Alton Sterling
We learned yesterday it was a homeless man’s 911 call that brought police to the convenience store where Alton Sterling was killed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The homeless man was begging for money, so Sterling displayed his gun to get rid of him. The homeless man then called 911 on his cell phone. Sterling was shot after an encounter with two police officers, who can be seen in the video on top of him before shots were fired. Federal authorities are investigating. Last night, pop star Beyonce had a moment of silence for Sterling and Castile during her concert in Glasgow, Scotland and posted an open letter on her website that said “stop killing us.”
Quote of the day
“I, for one, will not rest, and will not allow ya’ll to sweep him in the dirt.”
Quinyetta McMillon, the mother of one of Alton Sterling’s children, pressing authorities for a thorough investigation into Sterling’s death
Number of the day
5
The number of Dallas police officers killed last night. It’s the deadliest single attack on U.S. law enforcement since September 11th.