Black Lives Matter protests held as more suspected revenge shootings reported

As the investigation continues into the killing of five police officers in Dallas on Thursday, white and black Americans have been holding marches across the nation, calling for changes to police race relations.

There have also been shootings since the Dallas sniper attack that have targeted other police officers.

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And several people around the U.S. have been arrested for making threats against law enforcement in the wake of the Dallas attack, as well as shootings by police in Louisiana and Minnesota.

A suburban Chicago woman is accused of posting a threat on Facebook to shoot any police officer who pulls her over and asks her to get out of the car.

Police in Louisiana say a man was jailed after posting a social media video in which he says he wants to shoot and kill a police officer. Police in Bossier say the man made the video while sitting in a car that was behind a police unit at a fast-food drive-thru.

And in Racine, Wisconsin, police say they arrested a man who posted calls for black men to kill white police officers and their families.

Police say a Georgia man friends describe as "gentle" and a "teddy bear" called 911 to lure an officer into an ambush that left both wounded.

Officer Randall Hancock and the suspect, 22-year-old Stephen Paul Beck, are expected to survive the Friday morning gunfire outside an apartment complex in Valdosta.

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The shootout happened only hours after a sniper killed or wounded 12 officers in Dallas, but Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokesman Scott Dutton says there was no immediate evidence of a connection.

A black Army veteran upset about fatal police shootings of black men this past week and bent on exterminating white police officers killed the five police officers and wounded seven others on Thursday night.

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Micah Johnson, who donned a protective vest and used a military-style semi-automatic rifle, was killed by a robot-delivered bomb early Friday, authorities said. It marked the deadliest day for U.S. law enforcement since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In all, 12 officers were shot.

In Georgia, Stephen Beck's friends and neighbours said they are stunned. Taki Zambaras, who ran a drug treatment centre where Beck sought help about three years ago, says he turned his life around and is "one of the kindest, most gentle people."

The violence follows videotaped shootings of men in two states.

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Philando Castile was shot in his car in Falcon Heights, a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota, on Wednesday as he reached for his driving licence, his girlfriend said in a Facebook Live video taken immediately after he was shot.

His death follows that of Alton Sterling, who was shot dead by police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Tuesday. He was shot as two police officers held him on the ground outside a convenience store where he was selling CDs.

Cellphone video of his shooting set off angry protests, and the U.S. Justice Department swiftly agreed to open a civil rights investigation.

Obama praises 'empathy' of most Americans

U.S. President Barack Obama, in a speech at the NATO summit in Warsaw, called the Dallas gunman a "demented individual."

"He is no more representative of African-Americans than the shooter in Charleston (who killed nine black church members last year) was representative of white Americans," the president said.

Obama said the overwhelming majority of Americans have reacted to events of the past week with "empathy and understanding and police have reached out to communities, showing incredible professionalism as they are protecting protesters."

Obama said he would be travelling to Dallas "in a few days."

The mother of Sterling's son on Friday said she doesn't want his death to "be a race thing." Quinyetta McMillon wouldn't say, however, whether she believes police would have treated Alton Sterling the same way had he been white.

McMillon said she is grieving with the families of five police officers who were killed by a Dallas sniper during a march to protest Sterling's death.

"Now, I'm walking a mile with them. We're bearing the same shoes right now," McMillon said.

Marches in Atlanta, Detroit and elsewhere

Thousands of Americans across the U.S. have held protest marches against police shootings of black men.

Several thousand demonstrators flooded the streets of downtown Atlanta on Friday. They brought traffic to a standstill downtown after gathering at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

Witnesses say police used sound cannons to dispel an estimated 10,000 protesters.

About 1,000 people chanted "black lives matter" and "hands up, don't shoot" as they marched in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. Highway ramps were closed and pepper spray and tear gas were used Friday night during the protest.

More than 10 people were taken into custody in Philadelphia during a protest, while about 40 people were arrested during a protest in New York City. Organizers in Philadelphia called their demonstration "Shut it down: A Weekend of Rage for Alton Sterling and Philando Castile."

Police in Rochester, N.Y., arrested 74 people for disorderly conduct during a protest by around 400 people. Police in riot gear were patrolling the streets after the protesters marched.

In San Francisco, about 2,000 protesters marched across downtown to a rally outside City Hall.

People also marched in Detroit at a Black Lives Matter rally. There were a number of Canadians there, travelling from Windsor, Ont., to show their support. The peaceful protest began with speeches at Campus Martius Park in downtown Detroit.

Rappers call for unification

Rappers Snoop Dogg and The Game led a peaceful march to Los Angeles police headquarters, where they met with the mayor and police chief and urged improved relations between authorities and minority communities. The march in support of unification took place outside the graduation ceremony for the latest class of Los Angeles Police recruits.

Snoop shook hands with police officials and told reporters he hoped his presence would help reintroduce the black community to the police department and open a dialogue.

Colorado sit-in

Black Lives Matter supporters said they plan to continue a sit-in in Denver for a total of 135 hours. That's an hour for each of the black people they say have been killed by police across the country this year.
 
People have been dropping off food and water for those camped out on chairs and blankets in Civic Center Park.

​Police, white motorist targets in other shootings

Meanwhile, police officers were shot at in three other incidents in the U.S. over a 48-hour period on Thursday and Friday.

A black army veteran accused of shooting indiscriminately at passing cars and police on a Tennessee highway told investigators he was troubled by police violence against African-Americans, authorities said Friday.

One woman, a newspaper carrier driving down the highway, was killed in the shooting spree.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said in a news release their preliminary investigation revealed the suspect, 37-year-old former soldier Lakeem Keon Scott, who is black, was troubled by the incidents in other states. All those shot were white, police said.

His cousin, Sarah Scott, said she is so close to him, he called her "sister." She said she is shocked by the allegation he was enraged by police violence against African-Americans.

"He's into his culture, he really is, but never would he hurt anybody," she said. She called him an "open, big-hearted person."

Scott — allegedly armed with an assault rifle, a pistol and a large amount of ammunition — was wounded in a shootout with police early Thursday and remains in hospital. 

Hours before, while Scott was in the hospital, 12 officers were shot at a Black Lives Matter protest in Dallas.

Scott, who has no criminal history, grew up in New York City and moved to Tennessee fairly recently. His cousin said he has relatives in Tennessee and likely moved there because of a lower cost of living. She said he was in the army but was injured at some point, collected disability payments and did not have a job.

Army spokeswoman Lt.-Col. Jennifer Johnson confirmed he served from January 1998 to June 1999. He was a private in the 5th Battalion 5th Air Defence Artillery Regiment, stationed in South Korea.

One of Scott's brothers, Gerard Griffin, said Scott "was a little angry" when he came back from the military.

"He seemed to be getting more and more frustrated with the condition of black people in America," Griffin said.

Missouri officer 'ambushed'

A suburban St. Louis police officer was "ambushed" during a traffic stop Friday in Ballwin, Mo., and critically injured after he was shot at least once from behind as he walked to his patrol car, authorities said.

The suspect is Antonio Taylor, who authorities say is a 31-year-old black man. Taylor was paroled in early 2015 after serving time on a weapons charge. He has been charged with assault of a police officer, armed criminal action and a felon in possession.

Authorities said the officer, who was white, was a nine-year law enforcement veteran.

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The shooting followed the previous night's attack on officers in Dallas. But Ballwin police Chief Kevin Scott said he "can't even begin to speculate" about a motive.

Atlanta-area shooting

Georgia police said officer Brian McKenzie was on routine patrol when gunshots were fired from a blue Ford Explorer shortly before 1 a.m. Friday, just a few hours after the Dallas sniper attack.

Police say a 21-year-old Georgia man will likely face charges including aggravated assault on a police officer after they say he opened fire on an officer from a passing vehicle.

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Suspect Victor Alonzo Majia Nunez, 21, from Riverdale, Ga., was apprehended after a short pursuit in Roswell, Georgia early Friday. Police said he will likely face charges including aggravated assault on a police officer.

The officer didn't immediately know whether the shots were fireworks or gunshots but quickly realized that "gunshots were coming his way," said Roswell police Det. Zachary Frommer.

Multiple shots were fired, but none connected with the officer or his patrol car. In a news release, Roswell police said a motive isn't available.