A woman in a white shirt has claimed that her unarmed son was shot in the back by a Dallas police officer moments ago. In a neighborhood off Scyene Road behind Dixon Groceries, not far from Fair Park, police in riot gear have so far calmly and successfully held the crowd back from police lines. It's being reported that the shooting was fatal.
The near-100-degree heat isn't helping matters as police in riot gear and SWAT members stand in lines and talk down angry residents. In the mostly African American community in Southeast Dallas, tensions are high, and some folks have boldly approached officers in angry defiance, yelling and seeming to challenge individual officers, while friends and family coax them away.
Gang units are present also, and details are sketchy about why the shooting occurred in the first place. The woman claiming her son was shot told NBC reporters on the scene that her son was empty handed, jumped a fence and threw his hands up and then police shot him twice in the back. This hasn't been confirmed yet.
Officers from nearby Oak Cliff and other areas are being sent to the scene to diffuse any violence in case rioting starts. At the moment, however, Dallas police on the scene are handling the situation extremely well, with some calmly talking to area residents, patting them on the back, and directing them to safer locations.
Meanwhile, other officers have breached a door with a butting ram, seeking the occupant within. The building is surrounded, and apparently another suspect is inside. Family members are saying the suspect is James Harper but again, this information is unconfirmed. It is reported that the suspect is dead.
©2012 Reno Berkeley for Gather News. Berkeley can be found on Tumblr, Google+, and Facebook.
recommend
Facebook
Twitter
bookmark 
print
