police officers, 11 people shot overall. at least one civilian shot as well, a woman who went into surgery. i'm chris jansing. we'll continue our coverage here on msnbc throughout the day. i'm to turn it over now to alex witt. >> is that a cop? dude, that's a cop down! dude, that's a cop down. >> yes. >> there's four cops down. >> four? >> yeah, he shot five. >> it's a dude? >> no it's a sniper from up here somewhere. >> it's a sniper? >> you hear the shot? get down, get down. >> good morning, everyone. i'm alex witt. it is 5:00 a.m. here in the east, 4:00 avlt m. in dallas, texas, and that is the breaking news we're following from the heart of dallas this morning. one of the deadliest shootings targeting police in recent memory. 11 shot, 5 of those officers killed. a tense standoff with one of the suspects in that deadly ambush on the dallas police reportedly ended around 2:30 miss morning

local time. police tell our affiliate in dallas that the suspect has been, quote, neutralized. the police chief says that suspect was barricaded inside a parking garage exchanging gunfire with officers. from an elevated position. we do not know if he was shot by police or if he took his own life. here's a bit of what the officers were dealing with. >> the suspect that we are negotiating with that has exchanged gunfire with us over the last 45 minutes has told our negotiators that the end is coming, and he's going to hurt and kill more of us, meaning law enforcement, and that there are bombs all over the place in this garage, and in downtown. so we are being very careful in our tactics. >> but once again, police tell our affiliate in dallas that the suspect has been neutralized.

three other people are being questioned according to the police chief. now, this all started around 9:00 last night in downtown dallas when rifle fire rang out near what had otherwise been a peaceful demonstration against this week's shootings in minnesota and louisiana. 11 officers were shot, 5 have died, 4 from the dallas police department. the other, a dallas transit officer now identified as 43-year-old brent thompson is the first officer from that department ever to be killed in the line of duty. he had been on that force since 2009. three other dart officers shot are expected to recover. they are misty mcbride, omar cannon and jesus retana. right now police believe the attack was coordinated, suspects working together with their rifles and positioning themselves in strategic locations right near the route of those protests. police are investigating if more people may have been involved.

and right now officials are sweeping the downtown area of dallas for explosives. in fact, the faa has also shut down air traffic over dallas for awhile this morning. a nearby college campus has also been on lockdown. there is some video that we want to show you of a witness on the ground in dallas. he was one of the people protesting peacefully when the shooting began. and that is when he pulled out his cell phone and started streaming live on facebook. >> [ bleep ] [ gunshots ] holy [ bleep ] [ sirens ] -- right there. holy [ bleep ]

[ sirens ] >> they're smooting right now and there's an officer down. it's coming from the right over there, from around these buildings. i don't know where. main street, and lamar. this is main street and lamar. there's an officer down. they're moving in on somebody. >> that is extraordinary and chilling video right there. we're joined now by nbc's jacob rascon. he is live, again, in dallas this morning. jacob, you've been outside that iconic bank of america plaza building there with the green lights. talk about what you're seeing now. >> it is incredible, alex.

just now at this hour what we're seeing are people who still, and if we zoom in behind you're going to see a few people there gathered in front of the bus station, and they're waiting for their cars. they say they're determined to wait until the bomb sniffing is over with, but that we're told is going to take awhile. if we pan over to the right you're going to see the officers here that have been -- have been doing that, of course, all night. in fact when we arrived and drove in from houston, we got within a half mile and it took us 30 minutes to go that half mile because it was so difficult to get around. and it's going to be this way for the foreseeable future. they have not given a time line for when they're going to be finished. this is a massive investigation, of course. you're going to see they've reached out to atf, to the fbi, and they are just getting their investigation started. and really, it isn't over from

what they were initially trying to do. was to see if the claims of this person that there were bombs around the area are valid. and so they're taking him at his word. and they're going around, and sniffing, and looking with the dogs, with their personnel to see if there are any explosives in the area. large portions of downtown dallas still on lockdown. alex? >> all right. thank you so much, jacob rascon right there near main street and lamar in downtown dallas. the epicenter of this horrific event this evening. all of this is going on with the president abroad at a nato summit. and we are joined now by nbc's ron allen covering the president's trip in warsaw with us. ron we understand the president has been briefed on the situation in dallas this morning. >> indeed, yes. and the white house has offered its full support, whatever it can do to help the people of dallas, the law enforcement community there. as a practical matter that would mean, of course, the fbi, atf, and other federal law enforcement agencies would step

up, no surprise there, of course. the statement that we think we're going to hear from the president could come very shortly. it is part of a previously scheduled part of his agenda, part of his calendar, where the president was going to make remarks following his meeting with the leaders of the european commission, the european union, the issue brexit and the british decision to leave that organization. but given what's happened in dallas, given the magnitude of it all, and given the president's obvious concerns about so many issues that come to bear given what's happened there that's why we're anticipating that the president will have something to say fairly soon about that. about what's happened in dallas. last night july recall obviously when he arrived here in warsaw he took the very extraordinary step of getting off of a plane and walking in front of a camera to talk about how deeply troubled he is by the shootings that have happened in minnesota and baton rouge lately. but he also tried to balance his

remarks by expressing his support for law enforcement. this is a president who has in the past been criticized by law enforcement and others for supporting the protesters instead of the cops on the streets. the president, in his remarks, made it clear that he believes that police officers have a difficult job, that they face danger, that they have a right to go home to their families every day just as everyone else does. president said he receives letters from law enforcement following protests asking and saying that they feel under attack and that they feel that they don't get the support or the attention that when a fallen officer -- when an officer is shot and killed in the line of duty, that event does not get the focus and concern that it should from the white house and elsewhere. that these protests get. and the deaths of black and other suspects of dollars. so, there's some tension there. another reason why we expect the president will speak to this horrific sequence of events in dallas. again, very soon we expect it to happen, alex, here at a summit

meeting that was -- that is and will be devoted to issues of global security, of the war against isis, the british decision to leave the eu, of the concerns that many european countries have of a much more aggressive russia and vladimir putin. but given what's happened in dallas, again, the president this morning, all this happened in dallas at around 6:00 a.m. local time here in poland, we expect the president will have something to say about what has happened and his reaction to it. again, will be to we think to obviously support the people of dallas, offer what assistance is possible, and to express his, i would guess, heartfelt support and commitment to police and law enforcement officers across the country who have a tremendous job to do every day. alex? >> heartfelt support, indeed, ron allen. it was interesting listening to the president. he spoke with a level of gravity, almost sadness, and a twinge of frustration in his voice as he talked about this being an american issue. let's bring in calipery.

good morning to you. i know we've learned so much over the course of this night from social media. talk about the latest. the live streaming. people uploading cell phone live streaming on facebook, twitter, it's been extraordinary how social media has driven this conversation. >> so much of this played out live online as people with their cell phones at the protest started either facebook living it or periscoping it, and police are going to be going through that video. some of it is absolutely horrific. we saw that very emotional press conference from the police chief in dallas, who talked about the sniper's basically creating a kill zone, triangulating their fire. the video bears that out. we are not airing all of the video that is coming in. some of it is just simply too graphic. at one point you see a gunman on the street. at one point one of those gunmen made it down on the street, he goes behind a police officer and basically executes the officer with automatic gunfire. it's just horrific. some of the images are incredibly moving. we have this from parkland

memorial hospital. as i said, parkland memorial hospital, of course, the historical significance of this hospital cannot be understated. and you'll see here in a second, police officers saluting the fallen. there's the video there. this is becoming quickly one of the indelible images online at this hospital, as police officers there remembering their fallen comrades. >> yeah. and cal, there seems to be no distinguishing between whether those that were fallen were a member of the dallas police force or of d.a.r.t., the dallas area rapid transit. that was a transit police force. we know that one of the fallen is a member of the d.a.r.t. force and that four others thus far are dallas pd. how about any updates on those that have suffered critical injuries or currently in surgery. are we getting any information from dallas police, hospitals or loved ones? >> we know that one of the officers who is in the hospital is in serious condition.

the good news is that three of the other officers wounded are in stable and good condition and they're expected to be just fine. that's a bit of good news coming out from social media. >> and, cal, what strikes you as among the most shocking instances of this event? i mean i know you've covered so many things with social media. is it the fact that so quickly on live broadcasting, for anyone to see on social media, we were seeing execution of officers? we were hearing gunfire the likes of which sound like something out of a horror movie. >> right. i think it's that we can filter things on nbc and msnbc and our platforms on the television. online, this was coming through unfiltered. you were seeing video of police officers being executed on the streets of dallas in realtime. and all you had to do was have a decent internet connection. i think this really inherently changes the way that police departments are going to operate around the country. we know that the dallas police were coordinating with some of the marchers.

they were live tweeting. the dallas police department was live tweeting this march when the shooting began. so, it's that double-edged sword. we've seen police departments use this live video capability. and at times we've seen that it needed to be shut down. when that gunman was holed up in that parking garage, the dallas police put out a word to all the media that we should cease all live transmissions showing where the police were because, of course, they don't know what kind of capability the gunman has in that parking garage. all he needs is a mobile phone and he can watch live video streaming of the police outside that garage. >> okay, cal perry, thank you very much for the latest from the social media perspective. meantime, 11 officers have been shot, 5 of them are dead, as we've told you earlier, a civilian was apparently hit, as well. here's what this woman's sister told our dallas affiliate early this morning about how her sister protected her own

children. >> she took her four boys and herself down to the rally. kind of more or less, a very peaceful rally, and right towards the end of the rally as they were walking away, she's right at the beginning, the first crowd to walk away, as they turned to walk away, she heard the first shot, they didn't know what it was, and so she kept walking, and after the first shot she said another shot went off and then it became a barrage of shots fired. they all began to run. and right as she started to run she caught a bullet in the back of her right calf. she immediately jumped on top of one of her sons and covered him, and the other three ran different directions. so right now, currently, two of my nephews are locked in the hyatt tower because they can't get out because of the current situation. we found one. someone took him to somebody's apartment nearby and he was able to call us and we picked him up. and she is currently going through surgery right now. to remove the bullet. we hope. >> nothing quite as extraordinary as a mother trying

to protect her children. that was shatammia taylor's sister saying she had been shot in the calf. she's in surgery. shot trying to protect her children from madmen in dallas. these protests did begin peacefully last night. people were streaming through the streets. it was a very warm night. and last night the police department tweeted photos of the crowd as they began to mount. they even posed with photos like this man you're about to see holding a sign reading no justice, no peace. looking at the camaraderie between the protesters and the dallas police. in fact peaceful protests have occurred all around the country last night, including one right here in new york city where hundreds of new york residents gathered in times square. they were holding signs and chanting as well. no racist police. no justice. no peace. a handful of those protesters in times square were arrested. hundreds of protesters also gathered and marched in downtown atlanta. protests of the police shootings of alton sterling and philando castile. the city of brotherly love no

different with their own protesters marching for the second day in a row throughout center city. still ahead, the very latest from dallas, a city in mourning after this devastating night. 11 officers shot, 5 killed, in an ambush-style sniper attack. we'll be right back. i'm worried i can't find

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give you a look right now, the president having taken to the podium there at the warsaw marriott. he is expected to make some comments about dallas. let's take a listen. >> -- for the opportunity to meet today. with your understanding, i want to begin with a few words about the situation back in the united states. specifically the situation in dallas, texas. my team's been keeping me updated throughout the morning, the evening in dallas. i spoke this morning with mayor

rawlings of dallas, to convey the deepest condolences the american people. i told him that the federal government will provide whatever assistance dallas may nee as it deals with this tremendous tragedy. we still don't know all the facts. what we do know is that there has been a vicious, calculated and despicable attack on law enforcement. police in dallas were on duty during -- doing their jobs, keeping people safe during peaceful protests. these law enforcement officers were targeted, and nearly a dozen officers were shot. five were killed. other officers and at least one civilian were wounded. some are in serious condition. and we are prague for their recovery. as i told mayor rawlings, i

believe that i speak for every sing american when i say that we are horrified over these events, and that we stand united with the people, and the police department in dallas. according to police there are multiple suspects. we will learn more undoubtedly about their twisted motivations. but let's be clear, there's no possible justification for these kinds of attacks. or any violence against law enforcement. the fbi is already in touch with the dallas police, and anyone involved in these senseless murders will be held fully accountable. justice will be done. i will have more to say about this as the facts become more clear. for now, let me just say that even as yesterday i spoke about our need to be concerned as all

americans about racial disparities in our criminal justice system, i also said yesterday that our police have an extraordinarily difficult job. and the vast majority of them do their job in outstanding fashion. i also indicated the degree to which we need to be supportive of those officers who do their job each and every day. protecting us, and protecting our communities. today is a wrenching reminder of the sacrifices that they make for us. we also know that when people are armed with powerful weapons, unfortunately it makes attacks like these more deadly, and more tragic. and in the days ahead we're going to have to consider those realities, as well. in the meantime, today, our focus is on the victims, and

their families. they are heart broken. the entire city of dallas is grieving. police across america, which is a tight-knit family, feels this loss to their core. and we're grieving with them. i'd ask all americans to say a prayer for these officers and their families, keep them in their thoughts, and as a nation, let's remember to express our profound gratitude to our men and women in blue, not just today, but every day. with that i want to thank presidents tusk and juncker for our work here today in warsaw. i've worked with donald in his previous capacity as prime minister here in poland, and i've appreciated this chance to work with jean-claude. our meeting comes, as i think everybody is aware -- >> and there you see the president having called it a vicious, calculated and despicable this attack on those officers who were targeted

during what was otherwise a very peaceful demonstration through downtown dallas, adding that he is horrified by the events and that we, the american people, stand united with those that have lost their loved ones, that continue to do their job. those men in blue, as he describes it across the country. the president, of course, there in warsaw, poland. he is there to attend the nato summit. he's getting to that business right now. we're going to monitor that from our control room for you. meantime we're going to talk still ahead about the two other officer-involved shootings which took place this week and drew outrage across this country. we're going to have the very latest on the deaths of philando castile and alton sterling on "way too early." oh, look... ...another anti-wrinkle cream in no hurry to make anything happen. neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair works... ...in one week. with the... fastest retinol formula available. it's clinically proven to work on fine lines and... ...even deep wrinkles. "one week? that definitely works!" rapid wrinkle repair. and for dark spots, rapid tone repair.

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stay ahead of ibs-d... with viberzi. >> >> as we approach the bottom of the hour, welcome back to "way too early" after a devastating night for dallas as well as this nation. five police officers are dead. another six injured, after snipers opened fire during a peaceful protest last night. police tell our affiliate in dallas that the suspect has been neutralized. that remaining suspect there, three other people are being questioned right now, according to the police chief. dallas police described the shooting as ambush-style, with at least two snipers, firing on police officers from elevated positions in the downtown area. the shootings in dallas took place at a rally following the deaths of philando castile in minnesota and alton sterling in louisiana, the men who were both african-american, were killed by police officers within 48 hours of each other. now, moments after being shot by

police, philando castile's fiancee diamond reynolds began streaming live from facebook showing the bloody scene. it is not clear what happened before that video was taken. however reynolds says they were pulled over for a broken tail light. two police officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave. those officers are jeronimo yanez and joseph causer, four-year veterans of the police department. a report says castile died of multiple gunshot wounds and classified his death as a homicide. and minnesota governor mark dayton made it very clear he believes castile's race was a factor in the shooting death. >> would this have happened if those passengers, the driver and passenger were white? i don't think it would have. so i'm forced to confront, and i think all of us in minnesota, are forced to confront this kind of racism exists.

>> colleagues who worked with philando castile remembering him as a role model. according to "time" magazine he worked at a cafeteria supervisor where his coworkers say he memorized the names of the 500 children he served every day he knew their food allergies and he called them by name one by one as they came through that cafeteria line. turning to the shooting death of alton sterling in baton rouge, louisiana, we're learning more about the police officers involved there. according to more than 600 pages of disciplinary records obtained by nbc news, officers blane salamoni and howie lake had five plants between them, three of which were for use of force and each time the internal affairs division cleared them. speaking with nbc news attorney chris stewart who is representing sterling's family did not hold back about what he thinks happened in the videos of sterling's killing. >> the video paper is clear. that was a murder. he was killed for no reason. and it never should have

happened. the problem is, it never should have began that way. i think that the problem that a lot of officers have right now, especially when dealing with minorities, is that they don't de-escalate situations. and it's becoming ridiculous. i mean, his hands were up. >> meanwhile, at a prayer vigil in baton rouge last night, louisiana's governor john bell edwards pledged to do more to create a better relationship between law enforcement and the community. >> there are no simple answers. but i think we can start by working to restore trust between law enforcement, and the community. we have to introduce young people to law enforcement earlier, so that there is trust, that there is confidence, and we have to make sure that law enforcement people are the professionals that we all want them to be. that they understand -- >> coming up we'll have the latest from dallas, texas, five police officers dead, six