this is a fox news alert, i'm patricia stark in new york. protests, more deadly violence on our nation's streets. and at this hour, five dallas police officers are dead shot by at least two snipers armed from an elevated perch. six other officers have been wounded. here is what it looked like in downtown dallas when the shots rang out thursday night, total chaos as hundreds of people run for their lives. police say as many as 50 or 60

shots fired by the gunmen. one suspect in custody, another holed up in a high rise at this hour. he is exchanging sporadic firing with police, and claims there are bombs placed elsewhere. at this hour, mayor rawlings described the scene. >> this is still an active crime scene, and we're determining how large this crime scene is. there are many people who work in the downtown dallas area. we're asking them to stay away from that area. now how do you know where that is? we'll post it on dallas city news net. and you can make sure that those buildings are open where you work. we have got to support our

police force to do their job to make sure we get to the bottom and the root cause of all of this. so please, make it easy for -- the police force and other citizens to check your traffic routes in the morning before you -- you come in. i want to add that it is a heartbreaking morning to lose these four officers that proudly served our citizens. to say that our police officers put their lives on the line every day is no hyperbole, ladies and gentlemen. it's a reality. we as a city, we as a country must come together and lock arms and heal the wounds that we all

feel from time to time. words matter. leadership matters at this time. i'm proud of our chief. >> ironically, it all began as a peaceful march for justice in the wake of the deaths of two black men shot by police in baton rouge, louisiana, in a suburb just outside st. paul, minnesota. similar events were happening in dallas, seattle, st. paul and new york city. thousands were demanding justice for castile and alton sterling. castile was shot while sitting in a car in st. paul. two days later, alton sterling was gunned down as the police pinned him to the pavement. the justice department is looking into that case.

let's go to casey steigel for more. >> reporter: well, we can tell you that police are still engaging in the parking structure just blocks away from where i'm standing. the police have been referring to it as the el centro college parking garage. however, it's actually owned by the bank of america and leased by the college according to the officials there. and they are exchanging gunfire. this has been going on for -- we're now entering the second hour that police say that they have been engaged with the suspect. he says the end is near and told the officer that he is not afraid and that he would hurt or kill more. so the latest word is that that is still going on in the parking garage. and we don't know when dallas police are going to finally make the decision to just go in there and end it.

but that is something that we could be seeing soon. there have been reports, by the way, of some pops. and some flashes of light in that vicinity. the police would lob a flash bang in, it creates a lot of light. and that is designed to deter the suspect and designed to get their attention focused elsewhere so police can go in and try to get the situation under control. so we've heard that there have been some use of flash bangs and now it explains some of the popping noises and some of the flashes of light that we've seen. but not far from where we're standing this is all going down, and the bizarre thing is that we have not heard gunshots. fortunately, i have not heard any gunfire since i arrived on

the scene here tonight. but dallas police say that it is still very much an active situation back there as they try to get that fourth suspect into custody. because they did tell us earlier tonight that three suspects are already being questioned by police. this morning, a woman, who was arrested also near that parking garage and then two men who were seen putting a camouflage bag into the back of a mercedes benz and speeding away from the scene. police followed them and picked them up not far from south downtown dallas, and those people are being questioned at this hour. >> casey, do you have any idea, do you know how many s.w.a.t. officers are engaged with that suspect in that building right now? >> reporter: we don't know the size of the s.w.a.t. team unit that is dealing with the suspect. this is something they are highly trained in.

they have negotiators and they have all the proper equipment, armored personnel carriers, devices that can protect the officers in case there is additional gunfire pointed in their direction. so we don't know the size and the scope of the operation going on back there. but frankly even if we did this is a situation where it is fluid. we don't know if this suspect has access to a mobile phone and is able to watch some of the coverage on television. and so that is why it's important in situations like this. we, of course, are being kept far away. but some media people and crews have been down a little bit closer on the other side of where this is happening. and throughout the night, our colleagues at kdfw, reporters and photographers, photojournalists and producers on the streets that have been

covering this since it first broke out have told us that the police have come up to them at times and asked them to turn the camera lights off because they don't want to illuminate anything. they don't want the suspect to see where the officers may be strategically placed. so it is a covert operation going on, and hopefully it can come to the end and hopefully they can take this person out alive who may potentially be able to help the police with this investigation, patricia. >> now, casey, as that is all happening several blocks behind you, and i know that you can't see and hear a lot because of those restrictions are you seeing any other law enforcement around you doing those other things? i know earlier we had seen several of them lining up around the 7-eleven. they were doing other things in the area. anything that you can see from your vantage point that the law

enforcement is doing right now? >> yeah, not so much from this vantage point. like we said in an earlier report we talked about a large perimeter four or five blocks around us. where that 7-eleven is from where we took pictures from, is on the other side of this building so it's about a block and a half over to the north of where i'm standing. so it is a pretty wide spread as you heard the mayor of dallas saying so in this particular area where i'm standing not a whole lot of police activity. frankly just a lot of cop cars. i don't even see many officers standing outside. so clearly the action is happening deeper down into that section. and no doubt the flurry of activity is probably much larger down in that direction. we just can't see it from where we are here. >> and i know it was touch on earlier that the national guard may have been on their way. any news on whether national guard has arrived in the dallas area right now?

>> reporter: we haven't heard any official reports of that. but i can personally tell you that when i arrived here in downtown dallas tonight as i was getting out of my vehicle and was prepared to blocks and blocks to get to this location i did see a military vehicle. and soldiers getting off of that vehicle. but that is something we saw and didn't get a chance to move on. i had to get to this position. so no official word on national guard deployment. however, there have been some sources tonight that have talked about the national guard potentially being brought in. i saw one vehicle earlier. i haven't seen any other type of a presence in terms of military except that one vehicle a bit earlier. >> uh-huh, does it seem like they have cleared most of the civilians or any of the peaceful protesters outside of the area? are you seeing anyone else hanging out around the area

where you are still? >> yeah, not really, as i said there is just very limited activity. you have a few police cars that have the lights flashing. one or two officers may be standing outside, over on the corner where we saw you the last hour that has been closed for a bit. however, some of the patrons have been hanging out watching this unfold. only about ten people on the sidewalk over there so not a tremendous amount of action. but again, this is a pretty large area. and one of my colleagues on the other side of this building could have a large pocket of protesters or people. but you know, it's getting late. it's early in the morning, i should say of the and a lot of people are getting tired, i think and getting out of here. i know they brought buses into downtown dallas to get some people and provide public transportation for those who may have been stuck or couldn't access their cars in parking garages. a lot of these buildings around

here on lockdown. so it has cleared out quite a bit, i will say, as police continue to negotiate with that suspect. still at this hour, patricia. >> yeah, and so much, casey, still that we don't know. who are these shooters? was this a coordinated attack? it certainly seems from all of this evidence that this is something that was well planned, well orchestrated. and the fact they have this suspect holed up there, he is not cooperating. this has gone on for so many hours. it has to be incredibly frustrating for law enforcement to hopefully soon get all of those answers. >> well, not only do they want answers but keep in mind those members of law enforcement have lost five of their own tonight. and so they are mourning and they are still out here trying to do their jobs and trying to

keep the situation under control and to protect the public and make sure nobody else is injured. and god forbid, no one else is killed in the streets of dallas tonight. so those police officers have a tremendous amount of responsibility on their shoulders. their hearts are heavy. and law enforcement as you know a very tight knit sort of a family type community. and they have lost five of their own tonight. so there is anger, there is no doubt sadness. and there is no doubt just -- pure dumbfoundedne nesness in tf what happened here. it's kind of difficult to get your mind wrapped around on what happened here in downtown dallas tonight. >> all right, thank you, casey stegall, reporting from downtown dallas. thanks again, now we go to our washington bureau and kelly

wright for more information. kelly? >> patricia, thank you, and casey stegall, as well, who has been reporting in dallas all night long. this has been going on all night now, it's 2:13 a.m. in dallas, texas. and as casey just reported so many people are dumbfounded. deadly streets in dallas, this morning, five police officers are dead shot by at least two other snipers, six other officers have been wounded. [ bleep ] here it what it looked like in downtown dallas when the shots rang out last night. total chaos, as hundreds of people run for their lives. police say as many as 50 or 60 shots were fired by the gunmen.

one suspect is now in custody. another remains holed up in a high rise at this hour. he is exchanging sporadic gunfire with police and claims bombs have been placed all over the city. at a news conference earlier dallas mayor mike rawlings described the grim mood of the city as they mourn the loss of five of their finest. >> concerning what is going to happen tomorrow morning this is still an active crime scene. and we are determining right now how big that crime scene is. there are many people that work in the downtown area. we ask them to stay away from that crime scene. now how are you going to know where it is? we're going to post it on dallascitynews.net. and you can check with your buildings that you work in and make sure that those buildings are open. we've got to support our police force and do their job to make

sure we get to the job and the root cause of all of this. so please, make it easy for -- the police force and other citizens to check your traffic routes in the morning before you -- you come in. i want to add that it is a heartbreaking morning. to lose these four officers that proudly served our citizens. to say that our police officers put their life on the line every day is no hyperbole, ladies and gentlemen. it's a reality. we as a city, we as a country, must come together lock arms and

heal the wounds that we all feel from time to time. words matter. leadership matters at this time. i'm proud of our chief. >> that is the mayor of dallas. and he was talking earlier when there were four police officers who died and that was about an hour before we got an update that a fifth officer had died as well. ironically, all of this began as a peaceful march for justice in the wake of the deaths of two black men shot by police in baton rouge, louisiana, and a suburb just outside st. paul, minnesota. similar demonstrations were happening in other cities. seattle, denver, portland, chicago. washington, st. paul. and new york city. thousands demanding justice for philando castile and alton sterling. castile was fatally shot in his car with his girlfriend who

filmed his death. two days later alton sterling was gunned down as two baton rouge officers pinned him to the pavement. the justice department is now looking into the case. joining me now, retired police officer rod miller. rod, as the mayor said it is a heartbreaking morning. five police officers now dead. and these developments as casey stegall reported from the streets of dallas, texas. downtown. people in dallas are dumbfounded and just trying to figure out why it happened. >> reporter: well, you're right, kelly, it's a very tragic day across america. we have five officers confirmed dead as just reported. six are still for the hospital presumably fighting for their lives. this was in the middle of the gun battle. what are the police doing now

and what can we do to move forward with this situation? well, as you just reported there is one guy still holed up in one of the buildings in the garage. and he already made threats as we talked about earlier about having placed bombs strategically around the garage and other parts of the city. and he talked about more of you will ldie, referencing police officers, saying more of you will die tonight. this sounds more and more to me, kelly, casey stegall is doing a great job of investigating down there. it sounds like it was a well planned attack against the dallas police department. and right now the fbi is trying to figure out whether there is any other individuals they have not been able to identify that could have been involved in this, maybe planning in another city. we just don't know. but i'll tell you all forces are looking at this thing trying to bring some degree of resolution

with that last guy that is still hiding in that garage. >> yeah, and of course the investigation continues. i just want to point out here that of the five police officers, four of them were dallas police department officers. the fifth was a dart police officer. and we should point out dart, the dallas area rapid transportation, he was an officer for that department. he is the first of dart police officers to be killed in the line of duty. you know, these men, they went out to do a job. and that was to protect the public in a legitimate, peaceful protest. and it turned violent and the violence was directed towards them. they became the target of a terrible attack upon them where we're told that the snipers actually triangulated their shots and had an open field of fire.

that would suggest as you talked about that there had to be a lot of planning going into this. even though the rally was quickly organized and put into action action. >> that is right, as an investigator it definitely makes you wonder if there was somebody who was perhaps part of this scheme, if you will, to attack the police officers that was on the inside of the planning group. we just don't know. because as you said the event they just started to plan it days ago before the deaths of these two individuals. and so now, all of a sudden, when the peaceful march, it has been described as a peaceful march was coming to an end, there were these guys in the garage, one on the street and a woman who has been arrested. and it appears they just were firing upon uniformed police officers. what did the shooters not know about the police officers?

these shooters didn't know anything about the police officers, only that they were trying to be out there keeping things secure. the people they were protecting were the protesters. these terrorists, that is what i'm going to start calling them because that is what they are. these terrorists just start to shoot police officers. these officers have families, kelly, we don't even know if they were all male or maybe a female, we just don't know. but what we do know is that they sacrificed their lives to keep these people safe that was having a lawful, peaceful protest out there tonight. this is what we in law enforcement have to endure of the the -- -- you know, when i talked about the pulse nightclub, and when omar mateen was there. the officers put their lives on the line, you know, do we have problems within the organization of the police department?

yes, we do. and we try hard to fix those problems. but i'll tell you what happened though these officers tonight to me was nothing more than a major terrorist attack against law enforcement in the united states. >> and obviously, it could be defined as home grown tripper, we don't know. we're still waiting for the conclusion of this investigation which may take days if not longer. >> that is right, it sure could. there are a lot of things involved here, the fbi is involved. obviously the atf has gotten involved. the white house has announced they are lending support to the dallas police department, and the tbi, can is the tex -- whic bureau of law enforcement. you have multiple agencies. the key thing right now is to try to get the last person holed up in that garage. if you can get him out alive so

you can get more intelligence from that person, more information from that person to try to find out more in terms of how this thing was planned, when was it planned and who orchestrated it. that is the purpose right now and of course trying to save the lives of the remaining officers who are now fighting for their lives in the hospital. >> of course, the doctors are doing their level best to do that. but getting back to the suspect holed up in the parking garage, when you think about what he is going through threatening the police officers saying the end is coming and threatening police officers saying i will hurt more of you. i have planted explosives. but then also the police themselves have fired flash bang devices to try to disrupt him. and yet this is still going on. this may show the police are trying to be patient to wait him out, flush him out, and as you

said take him alive. >> reporter: but i don't think they're going to be too patient much longer. and i'll tell you why real quick. i heard the police chief saying earlier he is expecting a plan any moment now in terms of how they're going to bring that situation to an end. here is what i suspect is going to happen. the dallas police unit, they have an emergency response saying i think they're just going to go through a wall or maybe even throw a bomb in that place which would be fine with me and bring that guy out dead or alive. they want to end that situation. we have five officers who sacrificed their lives. we're not going to let any other officers or citizens down there become harmed by this one guy. they're going to end the situation very soon. one way or another that guy is coming out of that garage, whether he comes out walking or laying on a gurney is entirely up to him. >> for those of you just joining us we remind you in dallas, texas, there is a terrible,

terrible attack that took place on police officers. 11 police officers gunned down. five of them have died from gunshot wounds from sniper fire. there were suspects who were believed to have triangulated their sniper fire from rifles taking out these police officers while they were out in full view protecting a peaceful rally that was legitimate. against two shootings that took place this past week involving police and black men, one taking place near st. paul, minnesota, the other taking place in baton rouge. on the phone with me is rod wheeler, a former d.c. homicide detective as well as a fox news contributor. rod, some of the information i'm getting from viewers is like the people in dallas who are dumbfounded, why did it have to

happen at all? others are heartbroken by it, others are trying to figure out how the nation moves forward. others are criticizing saying you're not reporting all the facts. but the fact is as they are and we're still waiting for police to come in and conduct a rigorous investigation. but to the nation, what does this say when we see police officers fired upon in this manner in this despicable cowardly manner? what does it say to us as a nation in terms of trying to hold on to the rule of law and trying to hold on to our respect for the men and women in blue? >> it clearly says to me, kelly, that we're going in the wrong direction. we're definitely as a nation going in the wrong direction. we've seen that with ferguson and we've seen it with baltimore. and now we see it with the situation down in dallas. there is no respect. and that is the key word out of

everything we have talked about. there is no respect for the rule of law in the united states anymore. with certain generations and groups of individuals. and that is not to say at all by any stretch of the imagination we don't have issues within the police department. yes, we do. we're trying to get rid of the bad apples, if you we can't do we need the community's support, and all people to collectively come together and solve the problems. but what is lacking more than anything is leadership. when it comes to african-american males and you and i talked quickly about this earlier they have to respect themselves before anybody else will respect them. and we look at what is going on in chicago and st. louis and other cities. it comes down to one word, self respect. and if you don't have that, no one else will respect you as well. >> a lot of people are talking

about that, there does need to be a sense of respect within the african-american community among various groups of young men and women for that matter. but one of the things that is often overlooked, rod, despite the numbers of black on black crime are so high and staggering, one of the things overlooked are those men and women pro actively involved to try to stem the tide and turn those lives around. so they have to be talked about as well and perhaps come in more focused on the positive things they're trying to do in changing these lives around to get kids off the streets, out of thinking that violence is the way to achieve some modicum of success. and nothing could be further from the truth. so how does that take place? >> you know, i think progress has been made in that regard. there are a number of organizations as you well know, many of which you are probably a part of. whereby we mentor young

african-american men and women. and i think these things are making progress. the unfortunate thing is the progress is slow. in addition to that, i think a lot of it comes down to the economy. there is still very few jobs, so the policies of the obama administration, in my opinion, has not done much at all to help lift the young african-american male or female, in my opinion, in this country. there has been a few things that the president has done. and i'm not laying this at the feet of the president, again, i want to be clear. i'm not saying it is president obama's fault. but let's call it what it is. and with these policies, coupled with everything he feeelse goin not supporting the police, throwing the police under bus, we end up with the dallas situation. and again it will continue to happen until we get strong leadership in the country and that the country can come together, get through the issues. we've done it as a nation before and come together and put it

behind us and move forward. >> well, to our point, the mayor of dallas saying tonight it has been a heartbreaking morning. and he went on to say we as a city, a country must lock arms and cold together to heal the wounds. words matter, leadership matters. and what you're talking about is that leadership has been lacking and leadership needs to come forward not just in the black community but also in all communities so that people can come together with police and law enforcement, respect the police officers. as well as try to generate more camaraderie within the police and community. >> that is right, you have to respect and not lose sight that just a couple of weeks ago over 100 young african-american males were involved in a shooting.

that is a tragedy in and of itself. and again, that is not to take away from the situation tonight or the two individuals killed this week. what we see here is that all of these things come together. and they reach ahead. and that is what is happening now reaching ahead in some of the cities. i hope it's the end of it. i think it's just the beginning if you want my opinion but again we need strong leadership in this nation. and until we get that unfortunately i think we'll continue to relive dallas, texas again. >> rod, i would like you to stay on the line with us. we'll take a slight break and go to live reporting from our affiliate in dallas, texas, kdfw. and at the end of that rod we'll come back to you and talk to you about your in sights as a former homicide detective. and you handled a lot of cases involving violence and also had a lot of cases in terms of community policing which a lot

of people have talked about. you know what the african-american community needs and what police officers need. so let's right now go to kdfw, where more reporting at the time is taking place. >> i felt so protected because of them. >> i heard you guys talking, why would they do this? share some of your thoughts about that tonight. >> it's hard to even comprehend why somebody would do this. they live across the street from us, this is our neighbors. they come to work every day to protect us. it's incomprehensible that somebody would take a perch and kill police officers, in a rally that started as a peaceful rally. and they chose to take the rally, and i hope and pray that

the rally itself does not become the blame for this. because i think it was truly a peaceful rally. and -- >> "black lives matter" is not responsible for that. "black lives matter" is an important organization. and because "black lives matter" and people were very peaceful protesting tonight. and somebody, or a couple of people decided to turn it into a statement for some reason. and that is not fair. >> what are your thoughts for these victims' families tonight? >> i think -- the core, police lives matter, too. these people are family people. they're human, they had family and friends who don't get to see them again. and it hurts me so deeply. and i can't imagine, we have a very dear friend who is a dallas police officer and he got called in tonight. and so from the time i heard he

got called in, i was just praying he would not be in danger. >> if he was somewhere outside the perimeter so that he would be safe. >> thank you guys for being here and showing support for police officers and for our city tonight. we really appreciate it. and clarisse and heather and steve back to you guys. >> and allison, thank you, we're taking a look at the memorial they started. lights the candles for the five officers who lost their lives tonight. thank you, right now let's go live to downtown dallas. alex? >> reporter: i want you to kind of walk with me here at the

intersection of murphy and main street. you can see the police crime scene tape is still up. and still a very active scene as you look down main street heading towards lamar. again, main street remains a parking lot right now filled primarily with dallas police cruisers and a couple of vehicles from people who are parked here downtown. and take a walk with me a little bit down this way. and what you're looking at here is the continuation of the police line blocking off the area, that is the garden park. it was a very peaceful movement, with people showing up to protest against the violence they believe against black men by white officers.

and again, downtown dallas, of course we know the tragic conclusion. so this area right now, again, calming down a lot more than it had before. i spoke to one of the officers with the gang unit earlier about 20 minutes ago. he said that now the situation is starting to wind down. you get this for me sam -- starting to wind down, and we did see some of the s.w.a.t. police officers. thank you. kind of packing up and moving along. so the gang unit officers who has been monitoring kind of this corner for me tells me he believes they will start to slowly reopen some of the streets but as you can imagine the blocks that are closer to the scene along lamar those are going to be remained shut down. but they do hope to allow some of these people if we can kind of pivot here a second who have been waiting around to get their cars. they hope to allow these people to be able to got to their cars if they're not too far down the

street and be able to start to clear out so that downtown police officers can obviously continue to process this scene and do what they need to do here tonight. back to you. >> all right, alex. if you don't mind, we have a little time. the video tonight is going to be on a lot of people's brains, shawna, running towards the shots. you were right with her. it has been five or six hours, now at that point i have to believe you probably didn't know what you were going to get into. and now you do. what a crazy time. what a scary moment. >> yeah, pretty -- yeah, absolutely, steve, pretty surreal. we were all set up. i was coming to shawna who had been so amazing tonight. just so calm. and kind of talking about the reasons for wanting to be here

tonight really to make their voice s heard and just to expres themselves in a nonviolent way. already, i can tell you from observing the crowd from what i could tell it was a very peaceful protest and gathering. of course, you have some people who want to kind of incite the crowd with rhetoric, but as a whole nobody seemed to kind of engage in that. and people started to march and we started to kind of get ready for our 9:00 live shot. and just a couple of minutes before, as you know being in the studio, we just started to hear all the bullets coming from the area. and because of the echo in downtown dallas because of all the skyscraper his, like you mentioned steve we didn't know exactly where it was coming from. i initially commented to shawna, was that gunfire? because there really was no

tension in the crowd. so really there was nothing kind of indicating that anything like this would happen. as you mentioned, steve, it really does sound like this was an ambush which would explain why nobody really in any idea that this would happen aside from the people carrying this out. you know, shawna and i being journalists, i asked her do you feel comfortable kind of going out there and going live? and we both decided it was the right thing to do. initially we did get in the vehicle when the shots first rang out because we didn't know where they were coming from. but then when the gunfire slowed down we had our camera and live equipment. we just felt we needed the broadcast the issues of what was transpiring here, as you saw live breaking news people were scattering and running. people were ducking because no one knew exactly where the gunshots were coming from.

and we didn't know when it was going to stop. because it just seemed like forever, we just heard shot after shot after shot and people running from different directions. so it was anyone's guess where the shots were coming from at that point. so we just kind of laid down in the grass as you saw at some point and behind bushes and cars and just kind of played it by ear and kind of helped you all at home get some perspective as to what was going on tonight. >> yeah, i'm glad you guys showed it and did it, because it let the people know what the police were doing. >> all right, so we have been living to kdfw, and reporter alex harris who was there at the beginning and explained what he saw as a peaceful protest. and things turned for the worst quickly. because as he said, he mentioned the word ambush. he started hearing bullets and people started to run and duck for cover and look for a place to hide. some of them just laying down in

the grass, not knowing where the shots were coming from. the officers had been pinned down by this sniper fire. they were the targets of this sniper fire. again as i talked about it, from the time this actually broke, there were people perched on roof tops and they started opening fire on police officers with their rifles. triangulated. and they had an open field of fire, and again they were able to take down 11 police officers. 11 police officers. five of them are dead. five of them have not returned home and the others are still fighting for their lives in the area hospitals. it was just sheer terror for police officers as well as for the people who had gone to that protest. as well as for people who were

downtown. right in the heart of dallas' downtown and still having to figure out what was going on, trying to figure out where they would run for safety. how could they get to safety and the police still on scene as the police chief said, he could not be more proud of the police officers welcome instead of retreating they ran towards the gunfire in the face of those bullets to pull the injured to safety. and rush them to the hospitals. the mayor, going on to say this is a morning of heartbreak for the city of dallas. and the police chief also stating that the investigation was rigorous. they still at this hour, they are still questioning or negotiating with an armed sniper or suspect who has been exchanging gunfire with police. they have used flash bangs to try to disrupt him.

to disorient him. they are still negotiating with him trying to get to him to bring him out alive. rod wheeler, who is a fox news contributor and a former d.c. homicide detective who has been with us throughout the night sharing his perspective with his insight as a former trained police officer. sharing his perspective with us. rod it goes back to everything they said. the police, the people in this protest apparently very dumbfounded by the shooting and the firing that took place. >> that is right, kelly. and everyone is trying to determine and especially the police right now are trying to determine whether or not these suspects were actually part of the initial protests, the peaceful protest that was going on, or was this a staged attack against the peace officer, something that had been planned perhaps for a number of days. now since you and i spoke i just learned new information.

one of the other networks reported that one of the suspects that was taken into custody was possibly wearing a bullet proof armor, kevlar jacket. if that is the case then that clearly tells me as an investigator that these people planned this attack. you know, you don't just all of a sudden decide to bring a kevlar jacket to these type things. the individuals were armed with high powered weapons, possibly ak-47s. just listening to the sounds of the gunfire you played all evening from the recording it sounds to me there was perhaps a type of semiautomatic weapon that was being used by these individuals, especially when they ambush these uniformed police officers. and i emphasize that when i say uniform because they knew exactly who their targets were. these bad guys knew exactly who

their targets were. they fired at the police officers. the police officers were trying diligently to protect the protesters and while they were doing that they sacrificed and gave their lives. and as you already reported there is still six officers in the hospital fighting for their lives right now, kelly. >> rod, this is the worst police shooting in the history of dallas. how do they move forward and as a police department to stay professional, and to move forward in conducting this investigation, what kindwould t themselves need in dealing with this? you know, when veterans return from war they are often given counseling to avoid ordeal with post traumatic stress syndrome. what will happen to the city of dallas? >> well, the city of dallas will provide counseling to all of

their police officers. the order of police -- >> let me get back to you in just a moment. kdfw is now reporting the other suspect who had been in negotiations with police in dallas, we now understand that he has died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. that being said, rod, that means had he took himself out. and police will now be able to move forward with their investigation to find out what was on his body. what kind of weapons he had. but what about the threat that he gave about possible explosives? >> well, that is an excellent question. and the police, along with the atf, which is alcohol, tobacco and firearm, trust me they have already started to search many areas down there, any areas that could have been associated with the individuals now. as was reported earlier, there were two individuals taken

alive. one was a guy, one a female, and the investigators have already started to question these people, finding out who their friends are, social media footprint. and they're going to start to gather more information that way, as well. so moving forward, the dallas police department is a professional department just like many police departments in the united states. they're going to be back out there, out there now, serving all of the citizens of the city of dallas. and that is what we're sworn to do. and we realize and recognize when we put that uniform and that badge on we may not go home at night. but i'll tell you these officers did a tremendous job, even though five sacrificed their lives tonight. they did a tremendous job to protect the citizens of dallas tonight. >> and the fact it was an ambush, a cowardly act of

terror, given all of that, what does it do throughout the rest of the nation? they now have to be not just on guard but they have to be on a heightened sense of alert, do they not? >> well, you know, it's been on a heightened sense of alert. there are so many groups that threatened to go after police officers and we've seen it and saw two police officers gunned down as they sat in their car in new york city. you recall that about two years ago. and now, we're seeing this take place. so it really says to the police departments, they have to increase their heightened state of alert. and how would that help them in terms of dealing with the public. in what ways will they have to deal with the public, so wille there be two officers riding together now, or will there be one officer on patrol? >> well, in many jurisdictions today with the american police

departments, there are two officers per car. now, you do have some areas where there is still a fellow officer in a vehicle, but not in a high crime area where you may expect trouble. so in most areas, new york city and washington, d.c., you're going to find two officers in a car. it goes beyond that. the community will have to get involved and support their local police. again, i keep saying that because that is what is critical here. not only the community but the elected officials. they're going to have to have leadership, and until that happens you can have four officers in the car and it won't make a difference unless you have the support of the elected officials from the white house on down and your local community. >> you're right, again, i just want to repeat it for those who may not have heard it. i want to repeat it again the suspect who was holed up in a parking garage and had exchanged gunfire with police throughout the night, also threatened that the end is coming.

that he had planted explosives and that it would hurt more police officers before the end drew near, we are now being told by our affiliate station in dallas, texas, kdfw, that that suspect has died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. and now police will move forward to investigate further, to check out those explosive devices as well as to see what type of armor this suspect had. apparently he was one of the sniper who opened fire on 11 police officers, five of them are now dead. on the phone with me is rod wheeler, fox news contributor and former d.c. detective. in all of your years of police work, rod, you have done a lot of investigations do homicides and dangerous situations. did you ever think it would come to this, where 11 police officers would be the target of

an attack and five of them die in one night? >> absolutely not. i mean, over the many, many years of watching police departments, even since i have left the department still being very closely in touch of many police officers and police departments i have seen the pendulum swing. you know, there used to be a time in this country we were proud of our police officers and supported our police officers and held them to a high standard. and i tell you, that has just dramatically changed in this country. there is no respect for police anymore, no respect for the american system of justice. so it goes even beyond the police officer. i think that is the critical message here tonight. kelly, we look at the police officers who sacrifice their lives and it goes beyond just the police officers. we had a terrorist attack tonight. that is what we had. we had a group of individuals, perhaps a domestic terrorist group. but they set out to kill police officers. and that is why they selected the targets, their targets were

individuals dressed in blue. so the targets, it's changed. i still believe at the end of the day once we get strong leadership in office and strong leadership within our police departments and communities i think the country will bounce back and once again we'll be a great country again. >> rod, that is a very good sentiment, and certainly one we need to hear. there are people on social media who would listen to that and say it's hyperbole, but as the mayor of dallas, texas said it's no hyperbole in terms of what type of the danger police officers face not only in dallas but throughout this country. not only in major city but also in small towns, hamlets and rural areas. so they, too, have to be on alert because of what they're facing. and at the same time, rod, as you talked about before there has to be a better relationship established between the african-american and police officers. >> that is right. and finally, i'll tell you, the african-american community must

hold each other accountable, as well. i'm african-american, you're african-american, we have to step up to the plate and we have to say to our community enough is enough, enough is enough of battling with our law enforcement officers. enough is enough of killing each other. i mean, there comes a point where we have to stand up and provide the leadership that is so badly missing right now in our government. >> rod, that is quite a powerful statement. and you're right. there is a lot of accountability and responsibility on both sides of the aisle. no matter what stripes you wear, you should be able to roll up your sleeves and be a mentor and a leader to young african-american males in this country. and it really doesn't matter what color you are. people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. and that is really something to be said for that. so rod i appreciate your comments, and being a police officer as well as an african-american male thank you for being a good example to so many people here in the d.c. area and throughout law

enforcement communities around the world. we appreciate your insights tonight. and certainly helping a lot of people in america move forward and deal with this. to cope with this. a lot of prayers tonight are going out for those families who have lost their loved ones, their police officers, people who went out to risk their lives to save so many people. they're not coming home tonight. and those families are left with the despair, and the mourning and grief and the city of dallas and the people of this nation as the mayor of dallas said will have to come together as a country and city to help them heal and to help all of us heal, so that they can move forward. words matter, he said, leadership matters. rod, we thank you for expressing that. all right, we'll recap now the tragic events that have led to one of the saddest days for the city of dallas, texas. this morning, five police officers are dead, shot by at least two snipers armed with high powered weapons.

six other officers have been wounded. and this is what it looked like in downtown dallas, last night when shots rang out. total chaos as many ran for their lives, as many as 60 shots were fired by the gunmen. three suspects are in custody, another died by self-inflicted gunshot wounds. during the confrontation with police he claimed bombs were placed around the city. so far there is no evidence that that is true. ironically this began as one of the several coast to coast peaceful marches organized in the deaths -- similar events

were happening in st. paul, chicago, thousands demanding justice for alton sterling, and philando castile, and they demanded justice.

sheets fired. >> an unknown whooit male white in a green vest. >> body armor. >> a fox news alert, a man believed to have shot ask killed dallas police officers in cold blood is dead. kdfw reporting the suspect shot himself after barricading himself and shooting at officers for hours. >> this coming after a tragic night in texas. five police officers murdered by snipers during a protest. at least six others are wounded.