A July 7 protest against police brutality and the killings of two black men, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, turned deadly when about a dozen police officers who were working the demonstration were shot. Five of the officers were killed. Three suspects are in police custody, one is dead.
The suspect who was killed told a police negotiator that he was upset about the Black Lives Matter movement and the recent shootings of black men by police officers. “The suspect stated he wanted to kill white people, especially white officers,” said Dallas police chief David Brown. The suspect said he was “not affiliated with any groups and he stated that he did this alone.”
Black Lives Matter activists and supporters responded to the shootings on social media, condemning them and distancing themselves from the attackers: