Updates on what is still known, and unknown, in the aftermath of the Dallas shooting:
- Eleven Dallas law enforcement officers were shot; five are now dead. Police have identified two of the dead as DART Officer Brent Thompson and Dallas Police Officer Patrick Zamirripa, an Iraq veteran.
- The main suspect has been identified as Micah Johnson, 25, a former Army Reservist who served in Afghanistan in a non-combat role. He told officers he was upset about police violence against black Americans and sought specifically to target white officers. After a standoff with police officers, Johnson was killed when officers used a bomb disposal robot to deliver an explosive device to his location, then detonate it. The gunman does not appear to have any ties to foreign extremist groups, nor any prior criminal record.
- Three other suspects were taken into custody last night; law enforcement are not divulging whether they currently believe any of the three to have acted in concert with Johnson.
- An armed man black man in a camouflage-patterned shirt whose picture was tweeted last night by Dallas authorities as a possible "suspect" is not involved, but was open-carrying an (unloaded) rifle at the protest. The man, the brother of a rally organizer, quickly turned his rifle over to officers at the scene so that he would not be mistaken for a shooter; upon hearing that the Dallas PD was seeking him as a suspect, he turned himself in for questioning and is not considered to be involved, but has already received "thousands of death threats already."
- The organizers of the Dallas rally condemned the violence. "We continue to stand with the families of these officers and pray for them, as well as we stand with the families of Alton Sterling and Philando in Minnesota."
- Dallas Police Chief David Brown has vowed to not let this shooting militarize his city's police operations, reiterating that these were "peaceful protests until these events happened" and that his department would not "let cowards change our democracy."
- Both Attorney General Loretta Lynch and President Barack Obama made statements; the White House flag has been lowered to half-mast in recognition of the slain officers.
- No apology so far from former congressman Joe Walsh for his threats against Obama and "black lives matter punks." Given his past statements, don't hold your breath. Other low points include Trump campaign official Corey Stewart, who blamed Hillary Clinton, and an execrable cover from the New York Post.