Fast Facts About The Dallas Police Killings

Hundreds gathered in downtown Dallas to protest the deaths of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Philando Castile in suburban St. Paul, Minnesota. About 8:45 p.m. Thursday, shots were fired by a sniper, authorities have said. The shootings happened a few blocks from Dealey Plaza, the landmark made famous by President John F. Kennedy's assassination.

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HOW MANY WERE INVOLVED IN THE SHOOTINGS

Authorities initially said that there were three suspects in custody and a fourth one that was killed by a robot-delivered bomb in a parking garage after a long standoff.

But later Friday, police sources said the three suspects taken into custody were not connected to the shooting, and Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said the man who was killed had had acted alone as the gunman.

Authorities have identified the gunman as 25-year-old Micah Johnson, who lived in the Dallas suburb of Mesquite. He had served from March 2009 to April 2015 in the Army Reserve and did one tour of duty in Afghanistan.

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THE MOTIVE

Johnson told authorities that he was upset about the recent shootings of black men by police and wanted to kill whites, "especially white officers," according to Dallas Police Chief David Brown. Johnson also told them that he worked alone.

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THE DEAD

Five Dallas police officers were killed in the shootings.

One of them, Officer Brent Thompson, was described as "courageous" and a newlywed, according to Dallas Area Rapid Transit police Chief James Spiller.

Another victim, Officer Patrick Zamarripa, 32, was a veteran of three tours in Iraq.

Dallas Police Senior Corporal Lorne Ahrens was a father and was married to a Dallas police detective, Sgt. Michael Smith was the father of two teenage daughters, and Officer Michael Krol was living out his lifelong dream to serve as a police officer.

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THE INJURED

Seven officers were injured in the shootings. Mayor Rawlings said one of the wounded officers had a bullet go through his leg as three members of his squad were fatally shot around him.

"We care so much about people protesting, and I think it's their rights. But how we handle it can do a lot of things," Rawlings said. "One of the things it can do is put our police officers in harm's way, and we have to be very careful about doing that."

One of the officers who survived was identified as Misty McBride.

"I was just happy that she was OK," said Officer McBride's daughter, Hunter McBride, 10.

Among the two civilians injured was Shetamia Taylor, 37, who was shot in the right calf, according to sister Theresa Williams. Taylor threw herself over her four sons, ages 12 to 17, when the shooting began.