Dallas Had 3rd-Highest Rate of Fatal Police Shootings; Chief Partnered with Pastor Robert Jeffress

Officials Say Suspect in Thursday’s Attack Was ‘Upset About Black Lives Matter’

Dallas, the site of the attack that killed five law enforcement officers Thursday night, had the third-highest rate of fatal police shootings among the nation’s 10 largest cities from 2010 through 2014. 

Dallas recorded 34 fatal police shootings — a rate of 2.7 per 100,000 residents — over those five years, a rate that was lower than only Phoenix’s (3.77) and Philadelphia’s (3.48) nationally, according to a report from the Better Government Association. 

In 2014, a police accountability group, Dallas Communities Organizing for Change, filed an administrative complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice calling on the feds to cut off funding for the Dallas Police Department until “systemic police misconduct” was remedied. 

Meanwhile, Dallas Police Chief David Brown recently faced heavy criticism for partnering with hateful right-wing Pastor Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Church. In April, Brown attended a “Back the Blue” day at the church, which announced it was offering free counseling to officers and allowing their children to attend its summer Bible camps at no charge.  

After Jeffress later sparked outrage by comparing pro-LGBT businesses to ISIS, Brown said the department has no formal ongoing partnership with First Baptist. 

At a press conference Friday morning, Brown said one of the suspects in Thursday’s attack was “upset about Black Lives Matter” and “wanted to kill white people.”

“The suspect stated he was not affiliated with any groups, and he stated that he did that alone,” Brown added. 

After negotiating with the suspect, who was holed up in a building downtown, police used a robotic bomb to kill him, Brown said. 

“We saw no other option but to use our bomb robot and place a device on its extension for it to detonate where the suspect was. Other options would have exposed the officers to grave danger,” Brown said.

Brown and Mayor Mike Rawlings declined to provide any additional information about the deceased suspect or three others who reportedly are in custody. 

The suspects opened fire from elevated positions during a protest in response to the fatal police shootings this week of two black men, Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota. 

Watch the news conference below.