Snipers operating from rooftops in Dallas killed five police officers and wounded six more in a coordinated attack during one of several peaceful protests across the country against the unjustified killing of two more black men by police this week.
 
“(They were) working together with rifles, triangulating at elevated positions in different points in the downtown area where the march ended up going” Dallas Police Chief David Brown told a news conference, adding a civilian was also wounded. “It has been a devastating night. We are sad to report a fifth officer has died” Dallas police said on Twitter.

 

Police said Thursday night's ambush was carefully planned and executed and had taken three people into custody before a fourth died from what Dallas-based media said was a self-inflicted gunshot after a standoff that extended into Friday morning.
 
The attack was described as the deadliest for security forces after 9/11.
 
A spokesman said President Barack Obama, visiting Poland for the NATO convention, has been briefed about the sniper shootings that took place as a protest in Dallas was winding up under the watch of the police. Mr. Obama stated there is no excuse for such actions and justice will be served to whoever is responsible for the killings.
 
New York police made more than a dozen arrests on Thursday night, while protesters briefly shut down one of Chicago's main arteries.

“Worst Nightmare”
 
“Our worst nightmare has happened” Dallas Mayor Rawlings said. “It is a heartbreaking moment for the city of Dallas”. He advised people to stay away on Friday morning as police combed the area and transport halted. Federal authorities also halted commercial air traffic as police helicopters hovered over the scene. The Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area where the shootings happened is one of the nation's most populous and is home to more than 7 million people.

 
Black Lives Matter
 
The excessive use of force by police against African-Americans in cities from Ferguson, Missouri, to Baltimore and New York and the unjustified killings of African-Americans, without even indicting officers, have sparked periodic and sometimes violent protests in the past two years and has spawned the Black Lives Matter movement.
 
Anger has intensified when the officers involved in such incidents have been acquitted in trials or not charged at all.
 
The shooting happened as otherwise largely peaceful protests unfolded around the United States after the shooting of Philando Castile, 32, by police near St. Paul, Minnesota, late on Wednesday. His girlfriend posted live video on the internet of the bloody scene minutes afterward, which was widely viewed. Facebook deleted the video afterwards but it was uploaded on the cloud by many users. Another African-American was shot at Baton Rouge, Louisiana only on Tuesday of the same week.