Eyewitness video of downtown Dallas shooting
President Obama has slammed the slaying of at least five police officers in Dallas as a vicious, calculated and despicable attack on law enforcement.
The commander-in-chief spoke from Poland the morning after unidentified gunmen opened fire during a police brutality protest on Thursday, and praised officers across the U.S.
There is no possible justification for these kinds of attacks or any violence against law enforcement, Obama said, adding that the police community feels the loss of the Texas officers to its core.
In addition to the five officers who had died as of Friday morning, six other officers and a civilian were wounded.
Joe Walsh wants "war" on Obama, Black Lives Matter after Dallas
Obamas remarks came a day after the President gave a lengthy address to the country Thursday addressing recent police shootings in Brooklyn, Baton Rouge, La., and suburban St. Paul, Minn.
When incidents like this occur, theres a big chunk of our fellow citizenry that feels as if because of the color of their skin, they are not being treated the same, he said on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Warsaw.
The President had also attempted to ease tension between police and minority communities, saying, When people say Black Lives Matter, they dont mean blue lives dont.
Obamas Friday speech came as police continued looking for suspects in the downtown Dallas shooting, with three in custody and one believed to have died after a standoff with officers that morning.
5 officers shot dead, 6 wounded at Dallas protest (GRAPHIC)
He said that the police targeted in the city were doing their jobs and keeping protesters safe before dozens of shots were heard and crowds fled for safety.
The President made a short plea for gun control on Friday, saying that We also know that when people are armed with powerful weapons, unfortunately it makes attacks like these more deadly and more tragic.
Obama was slated to stay in Poland until Saturday and fly to Spain, and it was not immediately clear if his trip would be shortened because of the eruption of violence at home.
With News Wire Services
Tags: barack obama dallas texas police officers shot black lives matter Send a Letter to the Editor Join the Conversation: facebook TweetSource: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/obama-calls-dallas-shooting-vicious-calculated-despicable-article-1.2704004
