President Obama to cut short European trip to visit Dallas early next week

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DALLAS (AP) — The Latest on the shooting of police officers in Dallas (all times local):

7:05 p.m.

The White House says President Barack Obama will cut short his European trip and visit Dallas early next week, as the city mourns five police officers killed by a sniper.

Obama had been scheduled to return to Washington on Monday. Instead, he will leave Spain on Sunday night after a meeting with that country's interim prime minister and a visit with U.S. military personnel.

Obama is currently in Warsaw, Poland, for a NATO summit.

The White House says Obama will focus next week on efforts to support police officers while addressing "persistent racial disparities" in the criminal justice system.

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6:50 p.m.

Joey Gallo, one of the top prospects with the Texas Rangers, is recalling when he and teammate Nomar Mazara were stopped by a police officer walking down the street in downtown Dallas earlier this year.

The two young players weren't in trouble. The officer, Patrick Zamarripa, recognized them and wanted to take a picture with the two.

Zamarripa was one of five police officers killed Thursday night in Dallas.

Gallo, now playing at Triple-A Round Rock, posted the picture Friday on Instagram, relaying the story and asking for prayers for Zamarripa and all the officers and families affected by the tragedy.

Gallow wrote, "It was definitely a first for me and Nomar to have an officer, a true hero, want to meet us."

Gallow also wrote, "I'll never forget how kind and down to Earth he was. We ended up having a 15 minute conversation about sports with him. He was an avid Rangers fan. But more importantly a great person, and family man."

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6:10 p.m.

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings says the suspect in the sniper slayings of five officers was wearing a bulletproof vest.

Rawlings says 25-year-old Micah Johnson used an AR-15 assault weapon and was carrying magazines of ammunition.

Rawlings said he does not know whether Johnson was wearing a helmet, "but I was told he had some pretty good covering on."

The Dallas attack happened Thursday night at a protest about the recent killings of black men by police in Louisiana and Minnesota.

Johnson was killed by a robot-delivered bomb after the shootings.

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5:45 p.m.

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings says the suspect in the sniper slayings of five officers used an AR-15 rifle.

Rawlings said that's the type of weapon 25-year-old Micah Johnson used in the attack Thursday night in downtown Dallas. A similar assault weapon was used in the attacks at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, that killed 49 people.

The Dallas attack happened at a protest about the recent killings of black men by police in Louisiana and Minnesota.

Johnson was killed by a robot-delivered bomb after the shootings.

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5:30 p.m.

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings says that when a gunman opened fire in the attack that killed five police officers, there were people in the crowd of protesters carrying rifles and wearing protective equipment who turned out not to be involved in the shooting.

Rawlings made his comments Friday in response to questions about initial police reports about possible other suspects. The attack happened at a protest about recent killings by police.

He said the crowd included about 20 people carrying rifles and wearing protective gear. He says that like others, they started running after the shooting began. He said authorities started stopping them and interviewing them.

He says authorities later concluded that the "shooting came from one building at different levels from one suspect" and that the other people they'd stopped weren't involved.

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5:15 p.m.

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings says authorities believe a 25-year-old suspect in the attack that killed five police officers and wounded seven others was the lone attacker and that the city is safe.

Rawlings said at a news conference Friday that he believes the city can start healing now.

Police killed the suspect, Micah Xavier Johnson, using a robot-delivered bomb after they say negotiations with him failed. Two civilians also were wounded.

Gov. Greg Abbott says that although investigators believe Johnson was the only gunman, he thinks it's imperative to make sure that there weren't any co-conspirators or people who may have known in advance about the attack.

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4:50 p.m.

The head of the Department of Homeland Security says 'there appears to have been 1 gunman' in the attack that killed five Dallas police officers and wounded seven others.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said at a news conference Friday in New York City that the lone suspect, Micah Xavier Johnson, doesn't appear to have had any known "links to or inspiration from any international terrorist organization."

Police killed the 25-year-old Johnson with a robot-delivered bomb early Friday after negotiations for his surrender failed. Dallas Police Chief David Brown says Johnson said he was angry about the recent killings by police of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota and that he wanted to kill whites, particularly white officers. Johnson was black.

The attack happened at a protest about those recent killings by police. Two civilians were also wounded.

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4:40 p.m.

Religious leaders have held an interfaith prayer vigil for the victims in the attack on Dallas police officers.

Speakers called for healing and for improvements in the way police and the public interact.

Pastor T.D. Jakes said those who gathered Friday at Thanks-Giving Square in downtown Dallas "cannot be oblivious to the plight of this nation." He referenced incidents in Ferguson, Missouri, Baton Rouge, Louisiana and others in which black men were killed by white officers.

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings told the mixed-race crowd of several hundred people that the country must be willing to address racial issues. He says, "We as a city, as a state, as a nation are struggling with racial issues. Yes, it's that word 'race'. We've got to take it head on."

Dallas Pastor Bryan Carter told the crowd they "share a common pain."

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4:15 p.m.

Dallas police say the slain suspect in the killings of five police officers had bomb-making materials, ballistic vests, rifles, ammunition, and a personal journal of combat tactics at his home.

They also say that people they interviewed have described 25-year-old Micah Johnson as a loner.

The department also said in a statement Friday that detectives have interviewed more than 200 members of law enforcement and that "it appears at least 12 officers" fired their weapons when someone opened fired on police Thursday night. It happened during a demonstration to protest the recent killings of black men by police in Louisiana and Minnesota.

Police killed Johnson using a robot-delivered bomb after negotiations failed.

They say detectives are in the processing of analyzing the information contained in the journal.

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4 p.m.

Police say officers have been targeted in Tennessee, Georgia and Missouri in the aftermath of two high-profile killings of black men by law enforcement.

The attack in Tennessee occurred hours before the killing of five police officers in Dallas on Thursday night during a protest. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says the attacker told authorities that he was frustrated by the recent killings by police of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota.

Police have not disclosed a motive in Friday's attacks in Georgia and Missouri, which have been described as ambushes.

In a fourth attack early Friday, a motorist fired at a police car as the officer drove by. In all, four officers were wounded. The officer wounded outside St. Louis is in critical but stable condition. The wounded officers are expected to survive.

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3:45 p.m.

Two patrol cars have been parked outside of Dallas police headquarters to serve as a memorial to the five officers who were killed and seven who were wounded in an overnight attack.

The police department has been posting photos of people pausing by the memorial. Some have adorned the cars with flowers, signs and flags.

The attack began Thursday night during a protest of recent killings by police of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota. Two civilians were also wounded in the Dallas attack.

Police killed a suspect using a robot-delivered bomb after negotiations failed.

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3:15 p.m.

A suburban St. Louis police chief says a motorist shot an officer three times as the officer walked back to his car during a traffic stop.

Ballwin Police Chief Kevin Scott said at a news conference Friday that the attack happened around 11 a.m. and was captured on video.

St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar says the suspect, who is in his 30s, "ambushed" the officer, who is in critical but stable condition. His identity wasn't released.

Authorities didn't provide the race of the officer or the suspect or suggest a possible motive.

The shooting comes amid heightened tension following an attack in Dallas in which five police officers were killed and seven others and two civilians were wounded.

This item has been corrected to delete a reference to the officer having been shot three times. Police say the suspect fired three times and that the officer was shot at least once.

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3 p.m.

Authorities say a driver shot and wounded a suburban St. Louis police officer during a traffic stop.

The shooting happened around 11 a.m. Friday in Ballwin.

St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar didn't disclose many details about the confrontation, including the race of the suspect or officer. He is expected to say more about the case later Friday.

He told KMOV-TV (http://bit.ly/29VeKKY ) that the officer took "a hard hit" and was hospitalized, but he declined to elaborate on his condition.

Belmar says after shooting the officer, the suspect sped off but was spotted by another officer and abandoned his car. That officer captured the suspect after a short chase on foot.

The shooting comes amid heightened tension following an attack in Dallas in which five police officers were killed and seven others and two civilians were wounded.

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2:45 p.m.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson has condemned the fatal shooting of five police officers in Dallas as a "cowardly and insane act of terrorism."

The black civil rights advocate said at a Friday news conference in Chicago that the shootings, which apparently came in reaction to the killing by white police officers of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota, do not reflect "our struggle for justice whatsoever."

Jackson notes that last week, the killing of 49 people in Orlando, Florida, was in the nation's spotlight. He says "too much violence, too much fear make all of use less secure."

He says his heart is "heavy at the thought of innocent police being killed." He also spoke with Diamond Reynolds, who livestreamed to Facebook a video in the immediate aftermath of the fatal shooting of her boyfriend, Philando Castile, by police in Minnesota on Wednesday.

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2:35 p.m.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the killing of five police officers in Dallas, saying through a spokesman that "there is no justification for such violence."

U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Friday that "those responsible compounded the suffering that many in the United States feel following the killing of two African-American men over two days."

Haq says it's very hard and demanding work to be a police officer anywhere in the world and the secretary-general extends condolences to the families and colleagues of the victims and the Dallas Police Department.

He says the U.N. chief is also calling for thorough and impartial investigations into the killing of the two black men in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and suburban Minneapolis.

The Dallas attack began Thursday night at a protest over the killings of those black men. In addition to the five deaths, seven officers and two civilians were wounded.

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2:20 p.m.

President Barack Obama has ordered flags lowered to half-staff to honor the 12 police officers and two civilians who were shot in an attack in Dallas.

Obama's proclamation Friday applies to American flags flown at the White House and on all public buildings and grounds, military installations and Navy vessels. It extends through sunset Tuesday, July 12.

Gov. Greg Abbott ordered Texas flags to be flown at half-staff statewide during the same time period to honor the victims. Five of the officers were killed. The other seven and the two civilians were wounded.

The attack happened during what had been a peaceful protest over this week's killings by police of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota.

Police say an armed suspect, who was a military veteran, was killed in a robot-delivered bomb blast to end a standoff. Several other people were detained for questioning.

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1:55 p.m.

A friend of a man suspected in the deadly attack on Dallas police officers says his friend was educated and "wasn't really political."

Israel Cooper says 25-year-old Micah Xavier Johnson "wasn't one of those, 'ah man, white cops, blacks cops, you know'" kind of people.

A Texas law enforcement official identified Johnson to The Associated Press as a suspect who was killed by police with a robot-delivered bomb. He spoke on the condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release the information.

Cooper says he played basketball with Johnson dozens of times near Johnson's suburban Dallas house. He says the last time he saw Johnson was a about week ago and that Johnson was "cool" with a "good vibe."

Cooper says when he heard Johnson was a suspect he couldn't believe it because Johnson wasn't "a violent or rough dude."

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1:30 p.m.

Gov. Greg Abbott has issued an open letter to the people of Texas in response to the attack in Dallas that killed five police officers and wounded seven others.

Abbott titled the letter "A Time To Come Together," and posted it online Friday. He also provided it to The Dallas Morning News.

In the letter, Abbott asks for prayers and underlines that "every life matters." He urges Texans to come together and says "Texans are the first to open their hearts, their homes, their wallets to offer charity and love."

Abbott closes by saying he has faith in the goodness of Texas and of America, "for in the end, evil always fails."

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1:25 p.m.

NASCAR has conducted a five-minute moment of silence to honor five Dallas police officers killed by snipers in an attack Thursday night.

Spokesman Kerry Tharp said Friday that Speedway Motorsports Inc. president Marcus Smith asked teams and drivers at Kentucky Speedway to participate in the silent tribute to coincide with the city's planned ceremony for the officers at the same time. The PA played a bagpipe recording of "Amazing Grace" when the moment of silence ended.

Seven other officers and two civilians were wounded in the attack, which took place during a protest over this week's killings by police of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota.

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1:20 p.m.

A Texas Republican blames the words and actions of President Barack Obama and other prominent leaders for contributing to the deadly violence that occurred between police and individuals in Dallas.

Rep. Roger Williams said in a statement Friday that the "spread of misinformation and constant instigation by prominent leaders, including our president, have contributed to the modern day hostility we are witnessing between the police and those they serve."

The shooting late Thursday left five police officers dead and seven wounded. Two civilians were also hurt.

Williams' statement contrasts with the somber tone on the House floor and the effort by Republicans and Democrats to speak with one voice against the violence.

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1 p.m.

Dallas Police Chief David Brown says a shooting attack that left five police officers dead was "well planned."

Speaking at an interfaith prayer vigil in downtown Dallas on Friday, Brown called the shootings the previous night a "well-thought-out evil tragedy," saying his force "won't rest until we bring everyone involved to justice."

Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths were represented at the vigil that was attended by hundreds.

Seven other police officers were wounded in the shooting during a protest over the killing of black men by white police officers in Louisiana and Minnesota. Two civilians were also hurt, but Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings has said no one suffered life-threatening injuries.

Brown has blamed "snipers," but it is unclear how many shooters were involved in Thursday's attack.

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12:45 p.m.

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have put off political events out of respect for five police officers fatally shot during a protest in Dallas.

Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, has postponed a rally scheduled for Friday in Pennsylvania, but still plans to travel to Philadelphia for a scheduled appearance at the African Methodist Episcopal Convention.

Trump has canceled his plans to address Hispanics in Miami on Friday.

The presumptive Republican nominee denounced the police deaths as "a coordinated, premeditated assault on the men and women who keep us safe." Clinton says she is mourning the officers killed "while doing their sacred duty to protect peaceful protesters."

Seven other police officers and two civilians were injured in the shooting attack during the rally to protest killings of black men by white police officers.

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12:35 p.m.

Authorities have apparently finished an initial search of the home of a suspect in the deadly attack on Dallas police officers.

Agents in Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives vests on Friday carried several bags of unknown materials from 25-year-old Micah Johnson's home in the Dallas suburb of Mesquite.

Authorities stopped blocking off the street just before noon. No one answered a knock on the door at the home.

The attack began Thursday at a downtown Dallas protest over the recent killings by police of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota. Five officers were killed and seven others were wounded. Two civilians were also wounded.

Associated Press writer Will Weissert contributed to this report.

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12:20 p.m.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Army says Micah Xavier Johnson, named as a suspect in the Dallas police shootings, served in the Army Reserve and did one tour of duty in Afghanistan.

The Army says Johnson was a private first class and his home of record is Mesquite, Texas. His military occupational specialty was carpentry and masonry.

His service dates, as provided by the Army, are March 2009 to April 2015.

The Army says Johnson deployed to Afghanistan in November 2013 and returned in July 2014.

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12:15 p.m.

One of the organizers of the downtown Dallas protest where five police officers were shot and killed says he doesn't recognize a man identified as a suspected shooter.

Pastor Jeff Hood said Friday that he had never heard of 25-year-old Micah Johnson. A law enforcement official told The Associated Press that Johnson is the suspect who died in a lengthy overnight standoff with police.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he said he was not authorized to release the information. Dallas Police Chief David Brown says the suspect in the standoff had told police he was acting alone and wasn't affiliated with a group.

Hood says he began screaming "active shooter!" at hundreds of fellow demonstrators once gunfire erupted at the march to protest the recent fatal shootings of black men in Minnesota and Louisiana.

Associated Press writer Will Weissert contributed to this report.

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11:55 a.m.

Former President George W. Bush says he and former first lady Laura Bush are heartbroken about the fatal shooting of five police officers in Dallas.

Praising the professionalism of the city's police department, Bush said in a statement Friday from his ranch in Crawford, Texas, that the couple is also praying for the seven officers who were wounded in the attack Thursday. Two civilians were also wounded and police killed a suspect.

He says, "Murdering the innocent is always evil, never more so than when the lives taken belong to those who protect our families and communities."

Bush congratulated the city's leaders on their response to the shootings and says he is proud to call Dallas his home.

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11:50 a.m.

Some Black Lives Matter supporters are condemning the slayings of police in Dallas during a protest over fatal police shootings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota.

New York Daily News columnist Shaun King says on Twitter that he hates police brutality but doesn't hate police. He says: "This violence is wrong on every level."

Center for Media Justice director Malkia Cyril says her "heart hurts for the dead."

Cyril and King also defended the Black Lives Matter movement.

She writes that it "advocates dignity, justice and freedom, not the murder of cops." King says anyone blaming Black Lives Matter "is sick." He says protesters were peaceful and the shootings "terrorized them too."

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11:45 a.m.

A former Illinois congressman is standing by a Twitter post he sent after the fatal shooting of police officers in Dallas in which he warned President Barack Obama to "Watch out."

Joe Walsh told The Associated Press on Friday that he didn't intend to incite violence against Obama or anyone else. He says "that's just stupid" and "would be wrong and reprehensible."

The one-term Republican congressman and radio host from suburban Chicago posted the tweet after five police officers were killed and seven wounded during a protest of fatal shootings by police in Louisiana and Minnesota.

His tweet read: "This is now war. Watch out Obama. Watch out black lives matter punks. Real America is coming after you."

The post has been deleted.

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11:40 a.m.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is assisting in the investigation into a shooting in downtown Dallas that left five police officers dead.

The agency said Friday that it won't immediately release information about the type of weapons used in the attack during a demonstration Thursday to protest the killing of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota by white police officers.

Officers at the scene of the shooting say some kind of rifle was used.

Weapons such as the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle are easy to fire and generally accurate. Little or no training is required to fire such weapons and they are widely available.

Seven officers and two civilians were also wounded in the attack.

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11:30 a.m.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch is calling for peace and calm in the wake of the attack on police officers in Dallas, saying that violence is never the answer.

Lynch said Friday at the Justice Department in Washington that it has been a week of heartbreak and loss for the nation.

Five police officers were killed by gunfire in Dallas Thursday night at a peaceful protest march prompted by the shootings by police of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota.

Lynch says the spate of violence can't be allowed to "precipitate a new normal." Calling the Dallas attack "an unfathomable tragedy," she says those concerned about suspect killings by police should not be discouraged "by those who use your lawful actions as a cover for their heinous violence."

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11:15 a.m.

Investigators can be seen walking in and out of a suburban Dallas house believed to be that of a man suspected in the overnight attack that killed five Dallas police officers and wounded seven others.

About a half-dozen police vehicles are parked outside the two-story brick home in Mesquite thought to be that of Micah Johnson.

Authorities haven't publicly disclosed the name of a suspect whom police killed with a robot-delivered bomb after negotiations failed. But a law enforcement official speaking on the condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release the information told The Associated Press that he was 25-year-old Micah Johnson.

Mesquite authorities say they were at the home to assist Dallas investigators.

Associated Press writer Will Weissert contributed to this report.

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10:50 a.m.

The president of the NAACP is calling for policies, not handwringing, in the wake of the deadly attack on police in Dallas.

Cornell William Brooks made the comment in an interview Friday on "CBS This Morning." He says that includes establishing a national standard for excessive use of force and federal laws that address police accountability and community trust.

The attack began Thursday night at a protest over recent killings by police of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota. Five officers were killed and seven others were wounded. Two civilians were also wounded and police killed a suspect.

Brooks says citizens are afraid and capturing more fatal shootings by police on video due to a minority of officers "who defile the profession by their conduct."

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10:20 a.m.

A robotics expert says Dallas police appear to be the first law enforcement agency to use a robot to kill.

Peter W. Singer, of the New America Foundation, says the killing of a suspect in Thursday night's fatal shooting of five police officers is the first instance of which he's aware of a robot being used lethally by police.

Dallas Police Chief David Brown told reporters that after hours of failed negotiations and in order to not put any officers in harm's way, his department used a robot to deliver a bomb that killed the suspect. Brown said they saw no other option.

Singer said in an email Friday that when he was researching his 2009 book "Wired for War" a U.S. soldier told him troops in Iraq sometimes used MARCbot surveillance robots against insurgents.

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10:10 a.m.

A Texas law enforcement official has told The Associated Press that a slain suspect in the attack on Dallas police was 25-year-old Micah Johnson.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he said he was not authorized to release the information. There were no immediate details on the suspect's middle name or hometown.

The attack began Thursday night during a protest about the recent killings by police of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota. Five officers were killed and seven others were wounded. Two civilians were also wounded.

Police Chief David Brown said Friday that his department used a robot-delivered bomb to kill a suspect after hours of negotiations failed. He says the suspect expressed anger over recent killings by police of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota.

Associated Press writer Will Weissert contributed to this report.

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9:40 a.m.

House Speaker Paul Ryan says anger over the police shootings in Dallas must not be allowed to harden the nation's divisions.

Speaking Friday on the House Floor, Ryan said that "justice will be done."

He says it's been a "long month for America" and that the nation has seen terrible and senseless things.

But he says that in debating how to respond, "let's not lose sight of the values that unite us, our common humanity."

Ryan says: "A few perpetrators of evil do not represent us; they do not control us."

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi took the floor after Ryan, joining in his expression of grief and thanking Dallas police officers for their service.

Pelosi says: "Justice will be done, justice must be done. Also mercy must be done."

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9:10 a.m.

Dallas' police chief says a suspect in the deadly overnight attack on police officers told negotiators that he acted alone and was unaffiliated with any group.

Chief David Brown said at a news conference Friday that the suspect also said he was upset about recent police shootings and wanted to kill white people, particularly white officers.

He says officers killed the suspect with a robot-delivered bomb after hours of negotiations failed.

Although Brown says the suspect said he acted alone, it remains unclear if that was the case. He said earlier Friday that three other suspects were in custody, but he later declined to discuss those detentions and said police still didn't know if investigators had accounted for all participants in the attack.

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8:45 a.m.

The Dallas transit police chief says an officer who was fatally shot during a downtown protest was a newlywed whose bride also works for the police force.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit police Chief James Spiller described Officer Brent Thompson on Friday as a "courageous" and "great guy."

Thompson was among five police officers killed during a Thursday night demonstration to protest police shooting deaths of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota.

Spiller says Thompson got married two weeks ago. His wife, Emily, was not on duty at the protest.

The police chief last spoke to Thompson on Tuesday as they passed each other in a hallway. Spiller says he asked how the newlyweds were doing and how things were going with Thompson's job.

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8:15 a.m.

Mayor Mike Rawlings says a bullet went straight through the leg of one police officer as snipers fatally shot three members of his squad during a protest in downtown Dallas.

Rawlings, who says he spoke to the wounded officer, said Friday that the officer expressed sorrow at his loss and that he felt "people don't understand the danger of dealing with a protest."

The mayor says it's important to uphold the right of people to protest, but that more care needs to be taken to ensure the safety of police officers at such events.

Snipers shot and killed five police officers and wounded seven more at the demonstration Thursday evening to protest the police killing of black men in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and St. Paul, Minnesota. Two civilians were also injured.

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8:10 a.m.

Police Chief David Brown says authorities are still not certain that they have identified everyone involved in an attack on a downtown protest march that killed five police officers.

Brown said Friday that investigators have not ruled out that others may have been involved in the attacks that left a total of 12 officers and two civilians shot.

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings says an overnight standoff with one suspect in a parking garage ended when police detonated an explosive about four hours after the attack began. Authorities say the explosive was attached to a robot to protect officers.

Brown would not reveal any details about other potential suspects that have been detained by police and interviewed.

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7:55

Police Chief David Brown says a suspect in the overnight attack that killed five police officers, wounded seven others and wounded two civilians said he was upset over the recent police shootings of black men and wanted to kill white people.

Brown said at a news conference Friday that the suspect made the comments before he was killed by an explosive used by police.

He says his department and their families are grieving and that the divisiveness between police and the public must stop.

Authorities say snipers opened fire on police officers during a peaceful protest in downtown Dallas Thursday night over the recent fatal shootings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota.

Authorities say three other suspects were arrested.

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7:25 a.m.

A man wrongly identified by Dallas police as a suspect in a sniper attack on police says he turned himself in and was quickly released.

The Dallas Police Department put out a photo on its Twitter account late Thursday of a man wearing a camouflage shirt and holding a rifle with the message: "This is one of our suspects. Please help us find him!" The tweet remained on the account early Friday morning.

The man in the photo, Mark Hughes, tells Dallas TV station KTVT that he "flagged down a police officer" immediately after finding out he was a suspect. He says police lied during a 30-minute interrogation, telling him they had video of him shooting.

Videos posted online show Hughes walking around peacefully during the shooting and later turning over his gun to a police officer.

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7:15 a.m.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit officials say three DART police officers wounded by snipers during a protest are expected to recover.

Thursday night's shootings left four Dallas police officers and one DART officer dead, plus seven other officers wounded. The demonstration was to protest two fatal police shootings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota earlier this week.

A DART statement Friday identified the agency's three wounded personnel as 44-year-old Officer Omar Cannon, 32-year-old Officer Misty McBride and 39-year-old Officer Jesus Retana. DART spokesman Morgan Lyons did not release details of the injuries, but said all three should recover.

Officer Brent Thompson was the first DART officer killed in the line of duty since the transit agency formed a police department in 1989. Thompson was 43 and had worked as a DART officer since 2009.

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Online:

http://www.dart.org/

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7:05 a.m.

Mayor Mike Rawlings says a total of 12 police officers and two civilians were shot during a protest march in downtown Dallas.

Rawlings said Friday that he does not believe that any of the wounded victims have life-threatening injuries.

He says five officers were killed and seven more were injured when snipers opened fire during protests over two recent fatal police shootings of black men.

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6:40 a.m.

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings says the suspect involved in an overnight standoff with police died after officers used explosives to "blast him out."

Rawlings said Friday that he was not sure how the suspect died or what weapons were found on him.

He says police have swept the area where the standoff took place and found no explosives.

Snipers opened fire on police officers in the heart of Dallas Thursday evening, killing five officers and injuring six others during protests over two recent fatal police shootings of black men.

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6 a.m.

People gathered in small groups on Dallas' tense, police-filled streets before dawn early Friday struggled to fathom the still-unsettled situation.

Resident Jalisa Jackson says: "I think the biggest thing that we've had something like this is when JFK died," evoking the November 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy on the city's streets. She calls it "surreal."

Police said at least four suspects were involved in the killings of five police officers just hours before. The suspects were not immediately identified.

Downtown, officers crouched beside vehicles, SWAT team armored vehicles arrived and a helicopter hovered overhead.

Eleven Dallas officers were shot Thursday night during a peaceful protest over this week's fatal police shootings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota in what the city's police chief characterized as a sniper attack.

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5:45 a.m.

Dallas police say no explosives have been found in extensive sweeps of downtown areas following the fatal shooting of five police officers and the wounding of six others by snipers.

Security was tight Friday morning with numerous streets closed to vehicle traffic in the main downtown Dallas business district hours after Thursday night's attacks.

The gunfire happened during protests over this week's fatal police shootings in Louisiana and Minnesota of two black men. Police have detained at least three people in the investigation of the Dallas shootings.

Police said a fourth suspect was engaged in a standoff with authorities and had made threats about bombs.

Maj. Max Geron (GAYR'-uhn) tweeted before dawn Friday that primary and secondary sweeps for explosives were complete and no explosives were found.

The gunfire claimed the lives of four Dallas police officers and one Dallas Area Rapid Transit officer. DART serves Dallas and a dozen other North Texas cities. The transit agency operates buses and the state's largest municipal rail system.

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5:20 a.m.

A memorial group says the slaying of five police officers in Dallas in an attack blamed on snipers was the deadliest day in U.S. law enforcement history since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Four Dallas police officers and one Dallas Area Rapid Transit officer were fatally shot Thursday night. The gunfire happened during protests over this week's fatal police shootings of two black men, in Louisiana and Minnesota.

Six other officers were wounded in the Dallas attacks.

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, which monitors the deaths of officers, reports 72 officers were killed as a result of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. The group labels that attack as the deadliest day in U.S. law enforcement history.

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Online:

http://www.nleomf.org/facts/enforcement/deadliest.html

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4:30 a.m.

President Barack Obama says America is "horrified" over the shootings of police officers in Dallas and there's no possible justification for the attacks.

Obama is speaking from Warsaw, Poland, where he's meeting with leaders of the European Union and attending a NATO summit.

Obama says justice will be done and he's asking all Americans to pray for the fallen officers and their families. He also says the nation should express its gratitude to those serving in law enforcement.

Snipers opened fire on police officers in the heart of Dallas Thursday evening, killing five officers and injuring six others during protests over two recent fatal police shootings of black men.

Obama said earlier there was no contradiction between supporting law enforcement and making certain biases in the justice system are rooted out.

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2:30 a.m.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit has identified its officer who was fatally shot when snipers opened fire during a downtown Dallas protest.

DART said early Friday morning that 43-year-old officer Brent Thompson was killed in the Thursday night shootings. He'd joined the DART Police Department in 2009.

DART says he's the first officer killed in the line of duty since the agency formed a police department in 1989. The statement says "our hearts are broken."

DART says the other three DART police officers shot during the protest are expected to recover from their injuries.

Also killed during the shootings were four Dallas police officers.

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2:10 a.m.

Police say a fifth officer has died after snipers opened fire on police at a rally in Dallas. Six other officers were injured.

The gunfire broke out Thursday night while hundreds of people were gathered to protest fatal police shootings this week in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and suburban St. Paul, Minnesota.

Dallas Police Chief David Brown said Three people are in custody and a fourth suspect was exchanging gunfire with authorities in a parking garage downtown early Friday.

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2 a.m.

A family member says a protester who was shot when snipers opened fire on police at a rally in Dallas was shielding her sons when she was injured.

A sister of 37-year-old Shetamia Taylor says Taylor was at the protests Thursday night with her four sons, ages 12 to 17. Theresa Williams says that when the shooting began, Taylor threw herself over her sons. She was undergoing surgery early Friday after being shot in the right calf.

Police say four police officers were killed and seven injured in the shootings. The shootings happened at a protest over recent fatal police shootings of black men.

Williams says two of Taylor's sons became separated from their mother in the chaotic aftermath. She says they're now stuck behind a police barricade at a hotel near a parking garage where police exchanged gunfire with a suspect.

1:40 a.m.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says he's cutting short an out-of-state trip to go to Dallas after four police officers were killed and seven others injured when snipers opened fire during protests.

Abbott said in a release early Friday morning that he would be heading directly to Dallas. The shootings happened Thursday night in downtown Dallas.

Abbott also says he's spoken with Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings to express his condolences and offer any assistance the city needs.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said in a statement that "our thoughts and prayers go out to these officers and their families, and to those who have been injured." He said his office is in close contact with local authorities and will be offering to provide whatever support they can to help victims and bring the "perpetrators to justice."

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1:15 a.m.

Dallas police say a person of interest whose picture had been circulated has turned himself in.

Police earlier had circulated a picture of a man in a camouflage T-shirt who carrying a long gun.

Police had no update on whether that person was indeed a suspect. However, Police Chief David Brown said authorities had three people in custody. One is a woman and two are people who were in a car stopped on a road.

A man who identified himself as the brother of the man whose photo was circulated says his brother was not one of the shooters. He told television station KTVT that once the shootings had started, his brother had turned the gun over to a police officer.

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12:50 a.m.

Dallas Police Chief David Brown says three people are in custody after snipers opened fire on police officers during protests and says a fourth person is exchanging gunfire with officers.

Brown said at an early Friday morning news conference that authorities are negotiating with a suspect in a downtown parking garage who has been exchanging gunfire with officials.

The chief says the suspect is not cooperating and has told negotiators he intends to hurt more law enforcement officials.

The shooting attack killed four officers and injured seven others. It came amid protests over two recent fatal police shootings of black men.

Brown says authorities are not certain all suspects have been located.

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12:30 a.m.

Dallas police say they are questioning two occupants of a vehicle after an officer saw a person throw a bag into the back of the vehicle and speed off.

Police said late Thursday night that an officer spotted someone carrying a camouflage bag and quickly walking down the street. The person then threw the bag into the back of a black Mercedes and sped off at a high rate of speed.

Police say officers followed the vehicle southbound on Interstate 35 to a point south of Dallas where they performed a traffic stop. Police then began questioning both occupants of the vehicle.

Television footage showed many police cars surrounding a vehicle stopped on Interstate 35.

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11:35 p.m.

Dallas police say a suspect in shooting of officers at Dallas protests is in custody and a person of interest has surrendered.

Dallas police say four officers have died after at least two snipers opened fire during protests downtown Thursday night. Seven other officers were wounded.

Police Chief David O. Brown said snipers shot from "elevated positions" during a protest over two recent fatal police shootings.

The gunfire broke out around 8:45 p.m. Thursday. Live TV video showed protesters marching along a street in downtown when the shots erupted and the crowd scattered, seeking cover.

10:45 p.m.

The Dallas police chief says it appears two snipers shot 10 police officers during protests, and three of the officers are dead.

Police Chief David O. Brown said in a statement that three of the officers who were injured are in critical condition Thursday night. He says the snipers shot from "elevated positions" during a protest over two recent fatal police shootings.

The gunfire broke out around 8:45 p.m. Thursday. Live TV video showed protesters marching along a street in downtown when the shots erupted and the crowd scattered, seeking cover.