[Andorion]

WTF. This almost seems like a terrorist strike to me

[Terez]

Yep. They still haven't caught anybody.

[worry]

I don't know if it's useful (or healthy) to be stuck to live news, but this is a local Dallas station's feed: http://www.fox4news.com/live

[Andorion]

Link to Live thread

Something about 1 person arrested, there seems to be a press conference scheduled

[Terez]

I was on the Twitter live feed; I think the arrest was unrelated; they just arrested a protestor. At least, that's what I gathered. Like worry implied, it's not very useful to follow live feeds after events like these; too many unconfirmed details floating around. But the local news station is probably the best place to do that, if you want facts.

[worry]

Texas is an open carry state. There was nothing (legally) to inform cops about, previous to the gunfire.

What's annoying is people who should know better -- like journalists -- using "suspect" and "person of interest" interchangeably.

This post has been edited by Kanyemander West: 08 July 2016 - 04:12 AM

[Terez]

^^

Case in point. That picture is unconfirmed to have even been taken today, and if it was taken today, it was in broad daylight, hours before the shooting.

There's also a picture of a crazy-looking white dude with a rifle floating around.

[worry]

The POI is actually in this video, standing around confused with everyone else, once the shooting starts: https://twitter.com/...235966505881600

[worry]

Yah. That did happen, and the guy turned his gun into police not long after https://twitter.com/...67648311140352. My point earlier was that he was on the ground, not in an elevated area, so clearly not one of the shooters.

[Terez]

That Dallas station is a hot mess right now.

[Nicodimas]

Holy f..This situation sounds nuts.

prayers to the cops...

[Nicodimas]

Totally Crazy:

Chief Brown says suspect in garage has threatened that the end is near, bombs are planted and he intends to kill more cops. #Dallas

< 4 suspects, access to training, armor, bombs, and triangled elevated positions>

This post has been edited by Nicodimas: 08 July 2016 - 05:46 AM

[EmperorMagus]

I would be extremely surprised if such an organized attack was put together after the last "popular" police shooting. These people must have been putting this plan together for a long time.

[worry]

That POI talks to the news after having his face plastered everywhere: https://twitter.com/...306770459471873

[Terez]

5 dead now. No progress in the standoff.

The POI business is just sickening. And DPD still hasn't deleted their tweet with his picture, naming him as a suspect.

[EmperorMagus]

Is it possible that this was something organized by the New Black Panthers Party? I've never heard good things about them and they are based in Dallas ...

These people could be "connected" to them somehow, not affiliated to a degree that can bring down law enforcement, but connected. I'm just thinking, this sort of tactical thinking is not the MO of normal crazies or crazy terrorists brainwashed. If this is going to be the new standard of terrorist action in the US/the world it's going to get real ugly real fast. Automatic weapons have a lot more potential for mass murder than haphazard explosives put together by incompetent assholes and strapped to their clothing.

This post has been edited by EmperorMagus: 08 July 2016 - 07:20 AM

[Terez]

EmperorMagus, on 08 July 2016 - 07:19 AM, said:

Is it possible that this was something organized by the New Black Panthers Party? I've never heard good things about them and they are based in Dallas ...

I guess it's possible, but it doesn't seem very likely at this point. They're not really active terrorists, despite the rightwing propaganda about them. Maybe they decided to get active. We'll see.

Poor POI is still having his picture plastered everywhere.

[Tiste Simeon]

Wow, what a horrible sorry to wake up to. Do the people who are killing cops think that their actions will somehow help the cause? This is just going to justify more militarisation of the police, and the cycle continues...

[EmperorMagus]

Tiste Simeon, on 08 July 2016 - 07:31 AM, said:

Wow, what a horrible sorry to wake up to. Do the people who are killing cops think that their actions will somehow help the cause? This is just going to justify more militarisation of the police, and the cycle continues...

I'm trying to put myself in their shoes, and what comes to me is this. (if this is somehow revenge for the shootings)

"1 of them for everyone of us"
They don't care about results. I know how I wouldn't care about results if I was in their shoes.

[Silencer]

EmperorMagus, on 08 July 2016 - 07:19 AM, said:

Is it possible that this was something organized by the New Black Panthers Party? I've never heard good things about them and they are based in Dallas ...

These people could be "connected" to them somehow, not affiliated to a degree that can bring down law enforcement, but connected. I'm just thinking, this sort of tactical thinking is not the MO of normal crazies or crazy terrorists brainwashed. If this is going to be the new standard of terrorist action in the US/the world it's going to get real ugly real fast. Automatic weapons have a lot more potential for mass murder than haphazard explosives put together by incompetent assholes and strapped to their clothing.

Professionals who enact targeted bombing are definitely more effective than random attacks in most cases, but they have the flaw that it's a lot easier to track them down and therefore expose the rest of their organisation. A suicide bomber tells no tales and can't be followed from the scene - the only reason we can make connections is due to often poor cyber security practices and heavy surveillance, and the fact that the central organisation tends not to change so you can just look at people interacting with them. Its a much bigger issue for repeat bombers, same way that serial murderers are more easily caught than one-off killers.

So more messy in some ways but also more easily dealt with unless the professionals are exceptionally good and have inside knowledge of the means of tracking them.