How the Dallas protest shooting unfolded on social media
In the wake of two fatal police shootings in Louisiana and Minnesota this week, protests erupted throughout the country on Thursday evening.
Many were peaceful, but things turned violent in Dallas, Texas when shots rang out. Police say 12 officers were shot, and five killed. Four of the slain were Dallas Police officers, and the fifth was an officer with the DART transit system.
Demonstrators began posting on social media about the shooting around 9 p.m. CT. Warning: some may find this content disturbing.
One video posted at 9:02 p.m. shows peaceful protesters, then chaos breaks out.
As the situation unfolded, videos began flooding in on Twitter. One woman posted "I am so scared" as shots rang out in the background.
Another man posted a Facebook Live video as officers appear to take cover.
One student at El Centro College in downtown Dallas, which was on lock down for much of the night, posted a video where loud gunshots can be heard. It was later determined that the shooter was holed up on the second floor of a campus building.
CBS News' Manuel Bojorquez made his way to the scene, where he found officers trying to clear civilians from an alley.
Dallas police then tweeted a picture of one person of interest.
That man turned himself in, but was later released.
Corey Hughes said his brother Mark was marching with an unloaded gun, and turned it over to a police officer immediately after the shots were fired.
Other witnesses also spoke to CBS News, saying as soon as the shots rang out they started running and ducking for cover.
Dallas police later tweeted that at least two snipers shot at least 11 officers, and four were killed. Those numbers were updated to 12 shot, and five killed as the night went on.
In a press conference, Dallas Police Chief David Brown said three suspects were in custody. The fourth was still in negotiations with police, telling them the "end is coming" and bombs had been planted in the city.
Around 3 a.m. CT, reports surfaced that the suspect in a standoff with police had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police later confirmed the suspect was actually killed by a robot-delivered bomb in a parking garage where he had exchanged fire with officers.
The suspect was identified as 25-year-old Micah Xavier Johnson, who served in the U.S. Army Reserve.
As the events unfolded, confused and upset Americans expressed their grief on social media. Many called for peace and safety not just for cops and black people, but the country as a whole.
