Not Less Than Five Cops Dead In Dallas Shooting Spree.

Four gunmen have shot 11 police officers - killing at least five - in a Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Dallas described by President Obama as a 'vicious, calculated and despicable attack on law enforcement'. One of the police officers killed in the attack has been identified as 43-year-old Dart Officer Brent Thompson. A second slain officer was named by his family as young father Patrick Zamarripa. The shooters opened fire from 'elevated positions', picking off officers 'ambush style' as they manned a protest over the deaths of two black men - Philando Castile in Minnesota and Alton Sterling in Louisiana this week, police chief David Brown said.

Some officers were shot in the back,' he added. A gruesome video shows a heroic policeman taking on one of the gunmen, but being gunned down and shot again execution-style from point-blank range.

Three of the gunmen are in custody. A fourth man, who was engaged in a shootout with police from a parking garage at El Centro College, has killed himself with a shot to the head. The gunman told officers bombs have been planted across Dallas and that 'the end is coming'. Before the fourth suspect was 'neutralized', Brown said he told negotiators 'the end is coming, and he is going to hurt and kill more of us and that there are bombs all over the place in the garage and downtown'. However, police have now confirmed no explosives were found in two sweeps. The 'massive' crime scene can now be processed, Dallas Police Major Max Geron said. A female, who was in the same area as the gunman who shot himself, is in custody, however Brown said: 'We still don't have complete comfort that we have all the suspects.' Police said two people are being questioned after they were spotted speeding away from the scene of the shooting in a black Mercedes. An officer saw one of the pair hurriedly putting a camouflage bag in the back of the car before driving off 'at a high rate of speed'. In a statement from Warsaw, Poland where he is at a NATO summit, President Obama expressed his 'deepest condolences to the American people', and warned that he still didn't know all of the facts of the massacre.

The DART officer killed, Brent Thompson, joined the department in 2009 and is the first officer to be killed in the line of duty since 1989 when DART formed a police department. Morgan Lyons, a spokesman for DART, said: 'As you can imagine, our hearts are broken.' 'This is something that touches every part of our organization. We have received countless expressions of support and sympathy from around the world through the evening. We are grateful for every message. Thank you.' It is not known if the shooters were protesters, however they appear to have been militarily trained. Their motive is not clear. 'Our worst nightmare has happened,' Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said. 'It is a heartbreaking moment for the city of Dallas.' A second police officer killed in the attack has been identified by his family as Patrick Zamarripa. A man who claims to be his stepbrother, Dylan Martinez, said on Twitter Zamarripa was 'one of the young Dallas police officers killed this evening'. 'No father should have to bury his son. You are a hero, Patrick. Love you man,' he said. On Zamarripa’s social media profile there are pictures of his young daughter and he describes himself as ‘addicted to the thrill of this job’. ‘I own the night. I love my Country, Texas, Family, God, Friends, and Sports! Don't Tread on Me! 'Merica,’ his bio says. WFAA-TV reported the DART officers injured are Omar Cannon, 44, Misty McBride, 32, and Jesus Retana, 39. They are expected to recover from their injuries. McBride, who is a mother, was reportedly shot in the shoulder but will survive. A member of the public, mother-of-four Shetamia Taylor, was shot in the calf as she shielded her children, hiding her 15-year-old son under a car. The rest of the killed and injured are yet to be identified. Culled From Dailymail.