In a ghastly attack last night, a sniper in Dallas shot at police Thursday night, killing five and injuring six more. The attack came during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in downtown Dallas; a protester named Shetamia Taylor was also shot and wounded while reportedly protecting her children.
Dallas was one of many cities with marches and demonstrations yesterday against police killings, in the wake of the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.
The Associated Press reports the 37-year-old Taylor was attending the demonstration with her four sons, ages 12 to 17. When the shooting began, she threw herself over them to protect them and was shot in the leg. She was undergoing surgery early Friday.
Three suspects are in custody and a fourth died during a standoff in a parking garage, although on Friday morning police suggested they believe the person who died may have acted alone. Police detonated a bomb to try to “blast him out,” Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said this morning, killing him.
Dallas Police Chief David O. Brown said that, despite initial reports of at least four snipers, the suspect who died in the standoff might have acted alone. Brown said in a press conference that the suspect was angry at recent police shootings and “wanted to kill white people.”
Sherie Williams, left, and Theresa Williams, center, speak to the media as they leave the Baylor University Medical Center, Friday, July 8, 2016, in Dallas. Theresa Williams said her sister Shetamia Taylor, who was attending a rally with her four teenage sons in downtown Dallas, was shot in one of her legs. Photo via AP