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Continuing Coverage of Dallas Sniper Attack; Sniper Kills 5 Police Officers. Wounds 7; Peaceful Protest Blocks Atlanta Streets; Presidential Candidates React to Dallas Shooting. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired July 9, 2016 - 01:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers in the U.S. and indeed all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes at the CNN Center in Atlanta.

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm George Howell live here in Dallas, Texas. The backdrop that you see behind me, we're here at Dallas Police Department Headquarters and you see this memorial that has grown and continues to grow flowers and balloons. There are messages remembering the dead here. This five officers who were killed in the line of duty Thursday night as they were protecting marchers during a peaceful protest. Seven other officers and two civilians were wounded in that ambush. The shooter has been identified as 25-year-old Micah Xavier Johnson. A former U.S. army reservist who had served in Afghanistan. Authorities say that it appears that he acted alone and they say that they found bomb making materials inside his home before he was killed. Before he was killed by police, he was killed by a bomb squad robot. Police say that Johnson told negotiators that he was upset by killings of recent African-American men by police. Now, the governor of Texas and the Dallas mayor, they're calling for people to come together in the wake of this tragedy.

GREG ABBOT, TEXAS GOVERNOR: The past 24 hours in Dallas has been a veritable tale of two cities. On the one hand has been the tale of heroism of police officers. At the same time it's been a tale of cowardice by an assassin.

MIKE RAWLINGS, DALLAS CITY MAYOR: We will not shy away from the very real fact that we as a city, as a state, as a nation, are struggling with racial issues. They continue to divide us. Yes, it's that word "Race." And we've got to attack it head on. I will tell you, this is on my generation of leaders. It is on our watch that we have allowed this to continue to fester, that we have led the next-generation down a vicious path of rhetoric and actions that pit one against the other.

HOWELL: Such a different scene just the night before. But there were so many people here in Dallas who are caught up in the middle of all this chaos. Brendan Hester was one of them. He was with the protesters Thursday night and he saw the first police officer being gunned down and he caught on video that has been obtained exclusively by CNN. You can see it here. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Men get down. Men get down. Men, get down. Get

down. Get down, Anderson. Get down. Move it. Get down. All the way down. All the way down.

[Siren]

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

[SIREN]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)

[SIREN]

HOWELL: Hester spoke earlier with CNN'S Don Lemon. He said that he ran through a parking garage nearby to take cover as those shots continued

BRENDAN HESTER, WITNESS: What I've seen is -- can never really just be taken out of my mind. I'll never forget that for the rest of -- for the rest of my life, like, when the shots first, like, start coming, I've seen, like, literally like an officer fall. Like, I guess I don't know if he was the first officer to fall but he fell, like, right there. And that's when I ran and tried to take cover. But I guess I ran the wrong way because nobody really knew where the shots were coming from when they first started coming. So, I mean, I just ran like anybody else would. And by that time, like, my friends had ran every which way, like, everybody just, kind of, scattered. And I end up I guess running to the wrong place.

HOWELL: He just ran. All right. Joining us now is Tyler Sieswerda. He witnessed the aftermath of that shooting. Tyler is the former news anchor here in Texas. And also he lives just four blocks away from where all this happened. We spoke yesterday when all of this was, you know, playing out on the streets here in Dallas. You heard all of this happen. Tell viewers what happened.

TYLER SIESWERDA: You know, first of all, it still seems surreal even at this point. Where I live in downtown is on main street which is where this protest. They walked up around main street, up around my building and had -- were ending their walk and their march. And I took video as their marched past. The officers were there. They were blocking off streets. They were protecting these protesters. And it was four blocks from where the shots started. And the first thing i remember hearing is just chaos with sirens. The police cars coming from all over. And I quickly knew something was terribly wrong. And then, later I heard more shots. You also heard explosions later in the night which we now know is when police eliminated this person.

HOWELL: You know, I want to ask you about that. I mean, Downtown Dallas. This is a place where, you know, there are condos and people live downtown, you're there. What were police telling you when all this was happening? They were concerned that there were bombs throughout the core there.

SIESWERDA: They were. It was very unnerving because the suspect did state that there were explosive signs. They were telling everybody to stay off the streets, stand aside if -- you didn't have to be in downtown. Especially that core around where this is going on. But again, i was only four blocks away and it was extremely unnerving for everybody. Even people who were inside their homes didn't quite know what to do. And interesting, George, that has lasted even into today. We now know the outcome of this but people were still nervous today.

HOWELL: You know, one thing I noticed and, you know, Texas is home. So, it's interesting to come back into the state and hear these conversations. People talking directly about what happened but also, been trying to find some common ground. Have you seen that?

SIESWERDA: Yes, I actually have. I have seen people trying to make sense of what happened. Which I don't know that there is any way to make sense of what happened. I experienced that a woman today, she was trying to get into a bank that was closed. Because, you know, many of the businesses were closed in the -- In the central business district. And she said she works down there and she said she's scared to death and she started to cry. All right? And, you know, so, people are still feeling this. And I don't know that they can make any sense of it right now.

HOWELL: You know, just when I got to the airport, there was a gentleman that I started to. And you could sense that the pain and the anguish of what happened in this town, just right there on his shoulder.

SIESWERDA: He's there.

HOWELL: He was just trying to keep it together.

SIESWERDA: You know, and George, we're here at the police headquarters. You see what's happening behind you. And when you look at the skyline of downtown Dallas right now, it's illuminated blue.

HOWELL: Yes.

SIESWERDA: I mean, this city is all about its police department.

HOWELL: Even the Bank of America Tower, you know, usually green, but blue this one tonight. Tyler Sieswerda, thank you so much for your time with us. Thank you.

SIESWERDA: Thank you.

HOWELL: A prayer vigil was held in Dallas, Friday afternoon for those slain officers. There, the crowd cheered for Chief David Brown.

[Cheering]

CHIEF DAVID BROWN: Four of those murdered officers were part of the Dallas Police Department. The other was with the Dallas Police Department. The other was with the Dallas Area Rapid Transit also known as DART here in the city. Hundreds of people were at that vigil which continued to grow throughout the day. The Dallas shootings marked the single deadliest day for U.S. law enforcement since the 9/11 attacks in 2001. CNN's Jim Sciutto has more now on the men who lost their lives on Thursday.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN: Brent Thompson was a Dallas Area Rapid Transit officer. 43 years old, he joined the agency in 2009. Thompson was a newlywed, married just two weeks ago to a fellow transit officer. DART's police chief tells CNN, quote, "He was in great spirits."

RICK ZAMARRIPA, FATHER: A great police officer, servant to the people of Dallas as well as to our customers that use our system. A great family man and we are deeply saddened by his loss.

SCIUTTO: Dallas police officer Patrick Zamarripa was 32 and a father of two. Military record show he was a US navy veteran who served three tours during the Iraq war. On the news, his brother shared this photo on Twitter saying, quote "Love you, brother. Couldn't be prouder. We'll see you again. #prayfordallas."

Michael Krol, 40 was a Michigan native. Living out his dream to serve the public as an officer of the law.

JIM EHLIKE, UNCLE OF SLAIN OFFICER: He wanted to make everything better. He wanted to do -- you know, want to make things right. Was really committed. You know? It was probably the most frustrating thing for him. He couldn't solve it all.

SCIUTTO: According to local media reports the other two victims are Senior Corporal Lorne Ahrens who served in the Dallas Police Department for 14 years and veteran officer Michael Smith. He was 55, a father of two from Port Arthur, Texas. Who also served in the military as an army ranger.

HOWELL: Our Jim Sciutto mentioned there, Officer Patrick Zamarripa he lost his life doing what he

loved. His family and friends now mourning him and asking why this awful act of domestic terrorism took their loved one away. Earlier CNN spoke with his father. Listen.

RICK ZAMARRIPA, FATHER: Well, first of all, my son Patrick, he was -- he was very, very helpful young man. He was very giving. He would give you his last dollar if he had it in his pocket if you need it. He would bend over backwards to help anybody out. He was very patient. He was -- he would try to help anybody out the best he could. If you needed help, Patrick would -- he'd offer you help. Even though if he couldn't do nothing, he'd offer it to you. My son, he was -- why, since day one, since he was born he was a hero. He was my little hero. And he's a big hero -- he's a big hero now. Yes. He's -- he's going to be missed.

ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: You are incredible to share about your son. I mean, you know, he -- you talk about him helping people and he served in Iraq, he served in Kuwait. He cared deeply about his country.

RICK ZAMARIPPA: Oh, yes, he did. Oh, yes. If I was -- mainly, his sister, she was in the -- she was a navy, too. And she talked him into joining the navy and he loved it. He just loved being in the navy. That's why -- you know, he loved being a police officer for the service.

HOWELL: His life will be missed. CNN following breaking news also in Phoenix, Arizona. You are looking at these live images of protests on the streets in Phoenix. Right now it is 11:12 in Phoenix, Arizona and you are seeing what is happening. Police lined up there on the streets. A very tense protest on the other side of your screen. Keep this in mind. We also understand that police have used tear gas. Again, a police using tear gas in these crowds. You see, officers lined up on one side, protesters on the other. And this aerial image gives you a sense of what's happening there on the street. You can see many protesters there lined up against the police department. These are live images right now at 11:13 in Phoenix, Arizona. That's where these protests are happening. Police using tear gas on the crowds. CNN will continue to follow these protests along with others that are playing out across the country. This is CNN live coverage in Dallas, Texas. I'm George Howell. We will continue right after the break.

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HOLMES: Thank you. Back to Phoenix, Arizona now, where protests have been continuing. We do know that some tear gas has been fired. Those live pictures are giving you a sense of the protest still continuing. And that line of police there keeping the protesters at bay. It's not a large number of people but it has been a bit vocal and a little bit untidy. A little bit of tear gas being used. We are keeping an eye on that for you if it gets out of hand we will take you back to Phoenix, Arizona. Meanwhile, we got some other breaking news for you. Out of the Korean Peninsula, North Korea launching another missile test. This time, a ballistic missile from a submarine according to the South Korean military. According to South Korea's joint chief of staff, the missile launched in the seas southeast of Sinpo City, that's in the east of North Korea. For more on what we know about this latest move by Pyongyang. Let's go to our own Matt Rivers standing by in Seoul. And Matthew, this is the latest in the l atest in a series of tests. Tell us what we know about this one.

MATTHEW RIVERS. CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, this one, according to defense officials here in South Korea, the launch -- test launch happened around 11:30 a.m. and apparently it failed as soon after the launch. This missile launched from a submarine, an SLBM launched off the cost of East North Korea and it failed shortly after takeoff. We've seen local media reports here in the last couple minutes or so. Let's say that missile reached heights of about ten kilometers and flew for just a few kilometers before exploding in midair. Now, a successful launch, according to defense officials here means it would have had to travel at least 300 kilometers before reaching its intended target to be a successful launch. Obviously, the rocket exploding midair, only going a couple of kilometers would suggest that this was a failed launch. And this is the second straight failed launch for a submarine launched ballistic missile. Back in April there was another such test that only flew about 30 kilometers that time before failing again. But this is something that North Korea is going to continue to try and develop that program according to experts would significantly increase its strategic abilities. So this likely is not the last test we'll see from North Korea in regards to SLBMS. HOLMES: And Matt, before we let you go, it's all about context when

it comes to North Korea. There had been a couple advancement in recent days that might have perhaps led to this test and one is sanctions against the leader, and the other is the decisions about the South Koreans to deploy a U.S. missile protection system?

RIVERS: Right. A lot for North Korea to react to. On the one hand, you have the deployment of the "Sad" System as an advanced missile defense system. The U.S. and South Korea telling reporters yesterday that they are finalizing the deployment of that system. That doesn't make North Korea happy. And then for the first time, the U.S. imposed Human Rights related sanctions specifically citing Kim Jong Un, himself. And that is the first time that sanctions has specifically been levied against him. The North Koreans responded very angrily about that, and so there's a lot to respond to. It's certainly not a coincidence I would say that this missile launch comes just a day or two after we've seen all of these developments. Michael?

HOLMES: Matt Rivers in Seoul, South Korea. Thanks. All right. The U.S. mourning those five officers killed in the deadliest assault on the country's law enforcement since 9/11. And we are learning more about the suspect behind this awful act of domestic terrorism. Police say this man was the only shooter or authorities say he was 25-year- old, Micah Xavier Johnson. Police killed the former U.S. army reservist after a long standoff.

Police say he told them he wanted to kill white police officers and that he was upset about the recent shootings of African-American men by police. Protests began this week after two African-American men were killed by police officers in Louisiana and Minnesota. Police shot Alton Sterling several times on Tuesday after a homeless man called 911. A source said the man kept asking Sterling for money and Sterling brandished the gun. The 37 year-old was a father. The mother of one of his sons spoke with our Don Lemon.

QUINYETTA MCMILLION, WIFE OF ALTON STERLING: It's an unbearable pain. And especially being a mother with a teenage son. and it's like, you know, what's the best thing that you tell him besides "I love you" and "Everything is going to be OK. We have to stay together. We have to pray together." And honestly, that's what has been keeping me and Cameron focused. With the help of my family as well.

HOLMES: The fiancee of Philando Castile captured the moments after his shooting on Wednesday and that now famous live Facebook video post. She says, a police officer shot Castile after pulling him over for a broken taillight and he went to reach for his wallet after being asked for identification. We heard from Diamond Reynolds on Friday.

DIAMOND REYNOLDS: It's about all of the families that have lost people. this thing that has happened in Dallas, it was not because of something that transpired in Minnesota today. This is bigger than Philando. This is bigger than Trayvon Martin, this is bigger than Sandra Bland, this is bigger than all of us. So, today I just want justice for everyone, everyone around the world.

HOLMES: All right. Let's go back to Phoenix, Arizona and check out those demonstrations that are continuing there. They got a little bit out of hand. There were earlier reports that tear gas was used. We're now told that it was pepper spray which is effective at close range, of course. And you can see there. It's not a big crowd but it was a little bit lively. excuse me, earlier. We'll keep an eye development there.

Political Commentator Angela Rye joins us now to talk more about this. She is also the former Executive Director of the Congressional Black Caucus. Angela, great to have you here in the studio.

ANGELA RYE: Thank you.

HOLMES: I want to talk about, you know, the protest in Dallas itself was peaceful until all of this happened. I'm just wondering the message of that protest. And the message of a lot of the Black Lives Matter protests is being diluted in the weight of what actually happened in Dallas with the killing of the police officers. What do you -- what do you -- how do you feel about that message being a little bit lost in the last couple days?

RYE: Well, I certainly think that the shootings of the officers was a horrible, tragic event. And I also believe that it was a terrible distraction from what needed to really begin a message of -- and a conversation about healing in this country from the two shooting deaths. Both of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. And we were not able to talk through that because another horrific event ravaged this country and broke hearts of family members all throughout Dallas. I think the reality of it is though, it's very dangerous for us to say that that rogue shooter dilutes the message of Black Lives Matter which condemned the violence. Put out a statement today saying "We do not support the acts of violence by this particular shooter and have nothing to do with them."

HOLMES: And at the same time, it all speaks to the divisiveness in the country. A radio host, Rush Limbaugh, who's well-known in the U.S. perhaps around the world told his audience that Black Lives Matter is a terrorist group.

RYE: Horrible.

HOLMES: He is Rush Limbaugh. But, you know, speak to the divisiveness in this country at the moment. Black versus white. It's Muslim versus non-Muslim. It's born here versus not born here. All, sort of, shaken and stirred by, you know, a toxic, you know, discussion in this country. What do you make of that?

RYE: Sure. I do think it is toxic in this country but I also don't think it's unique to the country. When you look at what happened with Brexit, when you look at Boris Johnson and the comparisons that have been made to him and Donald Trump. When you hear the type of rhetoric dispute about our Muslim brothers and sisters all over the globe because there are people who happen to say there are Muslim who are also terrorist. I think that we have to be very, very careful about putting people in boxes where we're not comfortable with actually dealing with people based on their own individual experiences. You're no more not -- monolithic than your next door neighbor than I am to mine. And I think it's important to find key identifying points where we can have critical discussions about the things that hurt us, about the things that make us stronger and how we can move forward. But we won't be able to do that until we start paying respect to people's differences in how they grew up and their experiences there.

HOLMES: OK. So, what needs to be done when it comes to police and community relations? A lot of people have, sort of, suggested that there needs to be more of a collusion between the community and police departments. And by all accounts, Dallas was doing a good job, ironically, of that. But it's not the case everywhere. People talk about community run civilian commissions perhaps. The makeup of police departments versus racial makeups versus the community that they serve. What sort of things do you think need to be done? What are the priorities?

RYE: And I think all of those things are high on the priority list but I think given what's happened this week, we have to start talking about accountability and transparency in police departments. It's very, very important that data is able to be collected. It's very, very important that police men and women are held accountable when they run afoul of the rules. When they take a life, that is murder. Anyone else would be in jail. If anyone else behave the same way as the officers both in the Alton Sterling case and the Philando Castile. They would be in jail. So, it's important for us to treat officers like they're not above the law. Very important.

HOLMES: And just -- and maybe I have a caveat to that, we don't know the full story of both of those cases and the investigations are not done. But things aren't looking --

RYE: If things appear as they did on video, they would be at least arrested.

HOLMES: If they appear as they did on video. Right. Well, yes. The investigation we're going to say is still being done. You know, I just wanted to ask you one thing. Do you think it's impossible for the average white person in America to walk in the shoes of the average black person? Do you think there's a disconnect in knowing what the experience is? The interacting with police or in other elements of life?

RYE: So, i think it's important and that's why I, kind of, emphasized the monolithic idea earlier. I don't know what the average black person is, I don't know what the average white person is. I think the most important that thing that we can all do with our neighbors, with our friends, with our classmates, ,with our colleagues is have conversations. My experience is very different. You mentioned I worked for the CBC. It's very different from every single one of those members. There's an age difference, there's geographic difference. There's a gender difference. There are all types -- we went to different schools, we had different grades, we majored in different things. Some of us went to law school, some of us are engineers. So,; you have to come from the understanding that you having a conversation with a black person doesn't mean that you've talked to the whole community. Just like if I talked to someone who's white, I haven't talked with the whole community. HOLMES: But a conversation is a good idea.

RYE: Good place to start.

HOLMES: Angela, thank you so much.

RYE: Thank you so much.

HOLMES: Angel Rye there. And after a short break, we will bring you the very latest about the investigation of the deadly ambush of police officers in Dallas, Texas. Stay with us. We'll be right back.

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HOLMES: And welcome back to our viewers here in the U.S. and all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes at the Cnn Center in Atlanta.

HOWELL: And I'm George Howell live in Dallas, Texas this hour. And we want to take you to some live images we're seeing from a protest this hour. In Phoenix, Arizona protest that's turned chaotic here just in the past 30 minutes. We understand -- initially we're told pepper spray -- we now understand -- rather, we were told initially tear gas but now we understand, pepper spray is being used in this crowd. Just want to make sure that we understand exactly what police are using. Again, pepper spray in the crowds.

There is a concern, though. Because as you see these officers lined up, they want to make sure that people in the back know that more pepper spray could be used. The reason being, they don't want people in the front to be exposed to the pepper spray and then rush to the back and possibly trample people in the back. You're looking at two different images now. You see one -- this aerial image, you get a sense of just how many this many protesters are on the ground. And on the ground, you see this live image where at 11:32 p.m. , Phoenix Time, you see protesters in the streets still standing resolution but again, it is a tensed situation there and Phoenix is a situation to monitor here on CNN.

We're learning more now about what is being called "An act of domestic terror here in Dallas, Texas." This attack that killed five police officers in the line of duty and wounded seven others. Dallas Mayor says, that the gunman, 25 year-old, Micah Xavier Johnson that he acted alone. Official say that he was armed with at least two weapons when he opened fire on the police officers as protesters marched through the streets Dallas peacefully. During the standoff that went on four several hours, he told police negotiators infuriated by the deaths of African-American men at the hands of police officers. And that he wanted to kill white people. Especially white officers. That standoff ended when officers used a bomb delivered by a robot to kill him after the negotiation has failed.

Right now I'm standing in front of Dallas Police Headquarters and I want you to see what's happening behind me, this memorial. We have seen people come out here throughout the day and still through the night bringing flowers, bringing the balloons, bringing messages of remembrance for the se officers who, you know, went to work one day and did not come home the next. Our Ed Lavendera has more on the vigil held within and some new information about the sniper.

ED LAVENDERA: Just outside the Dallas Police department headquarters, a vigil, an emotional scene, this video has been growing steadily throughout the day. People leaving flowers on the police cars and notes of condolences to the fallen officers as well as those that were wounded and the police force here in Dallas that has been shaken to its core. All of this while the investigative work continues. There have been officers there at the crime scene on the streets of downtown Dallas piecing together evidence. And we also know that those officers have been trying to retrace the steps that the killer, Micah Johnson, followed in his attack that ended with the killings of five police officers here Thursday night in Dallas. We also know that investigators including federal law enforcement investigators have been at the home of Micah Johnson. Where neighbors tell us he lived there with his mother. I mean, detectives are pouring through that journal to get more into the mind of this killer. So, all of that g

oing on tonight here as the city mourns. Ed Lavender, CNN Dallas

HOWELL: Ed, thank you. I'd like to bring in now combat tactics. Steve Moore. He is a CNN law enforcement contributor and former FBI agent. Steve joins us this hour live via Skype from Los Angeles. Steve, you and I were together just the other day. We were talking about the situation as it played out and I just wanted to get a sense from you about what you saw, how these officers handled the situation.

STEVE MOORE: Iit was remarkable how well and how composed they remained. If you realize that they couldn't tell where the shots were coming from and could only take cover and -- I mean, so many people would have just taken cover and that's it. Or gotten behind buildings blocks away. These officers were running towards wounded. They were running towards the shooting to engage. It was -- it was actually, kind of, inspiring.

HOWELL: Steve, one thing that I noticed. And I spoke to a protester, you know. He was -- he was in the group of people that was protesting. He heard the gunshots. Then, you know, officers told him and many other people to get out of the way. They pushed him out. He said, "Look, we were out there to protest alleged police brutality." He said it is a problem in the United States but at the same time, he has love for those officers. He understands, you know. He said, you know, if I call 911, they are there for me. It's not then, it's an issue that he has a problem with. So, you get a sense from what I hear from many people that, you know, especially here in Dallas that there is a connection with their police department.

MOORE: I so hope that's true and that it's more universal. The police officers, the vast majority of police officers in the United States are these types of police officers that we saw yesterday acting pretty heroically in Dallas. And a very minute section of that -- of law enforcement has got some issues.

I don't want to have anybody blame law enforcement as a whole any more than we should blame Black Lives Matter as a whole for the act of one deranged man. It's the whole thing of not jumping to conclusions, not lumping people together. HOWELL: It's good that you point that out. Because again, I've heard so many people here in Dallas say, "Hey," you know, one event -- one -- this person who did this terrible, terrible thing in this city, that event should not hijack the issue that, you know, there are other topics that the protesters are talking about. They have a relationship with their police department. Steve, I want to ask you about this, you know, when we understood that there was this standoff and the officers used this robot to go in with the bomb. Talk to us about that tactic.

MOORE: I've never seen that tactic before. I was on SWAT for five years. I was a sniper but I think what people should realize is that deadly force is deadly force. It doesn't say that deadly force has to be a gun, has to be whatever. We were trained in the academy that if somebody -- if you were in your vehicle and somebody was shooting at you, your vehicle is a deadly weapon. It is -- it is simply what we call field expedient. Do what you need to render the killer impotent and do what you need to do.

HOWELL: Steve, I'd like to show our viewers something. We have a camera that's trained off to Downtown Dallas. I'd like to cut to that camera and show it in full view because you see the downtown skyline. And you see the main building, the tallest building here in the city. It is typically green, Steve but look at that. It's lit in blue tonight here in Dallas, Texas. This city showing solidarity with its police force.

MOORE: I really appreciate that gesture. I appreciate lots of gestures, all of these gestures. My brother-in-law is a police officer in Texas. I hope, i desperately hope that through this tragedy maybe both sides can see that -- see the pain that the other one is feeling and move towards the center and find a way through this. Because war between police and civilians is not going to work out for anybody.

HOWELL: Steve Moore live for us via Skype in Los Angeles. Steve, thanks for joining us again, today.

MOORE: Thank you.

HOWELL: The US President and the main presidential candidates, they are reacting to what happened here in Dallas. What they've been seeing as this broadcast continues.

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HOLMES: Hello everyone. I'm Michael Holmes in Atlanta. Time to update you now on the deadly police ambush in Dallas, Texas. A sniper shooting 12 police officers. Killing five of them, at what was a peaceful protest on Thursday night. The mayor, he says the gunman was acting alone when he ambushed those officers. He also told police he had bombs, explosives, IDs. Officers killed him eventually with an explosive delivered by a robot after negotiations failed. The 25 year-old was a military veteran. He served in Afghanistan. This mass shooting was during one of the many demonstrations across the U.S. demanding answers over the killings of two black men by police in those many days. Protests and marches continued Friday in several major cities including Atlanta, Phoenix, and San Francisco. U.S. President Barack Obama addressing all of the shootings while overseas. He is actually cutting that trip short by a day to come back and he's going to be visiting Dallas next week.

Now the mass shootings and the killings of those two black men by police have drawn responses from U.S. presidential candidates not surprisingly. The presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump tying the killing of five officers in Dallas to the economy.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Too many Americans are living in terrible poverty and violence. We need jobs and we're going to produce those jobs. Racial divisions have gotten worse, not better. Too many headlines flash across our screens everyday about the rising crime and rising death tolls in our cities. Now is the time for prayers, love, unity, and leadership.

HOLMES: On the Democratic side, the presumptive nominee, Hillary Clinton calling for new guidelines in the wake of the shootings.

HILLARY CLINTON, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thousands of workers -- we must do more to have national guidelines about the use of force by police especially deadly force. We need to do more to look into implicit bias and we need to do more to respect and protect our police. Look at what happened in Dallas. Those police officers were protecting a peaceful protest. A protest of authority. That is a hallmark of America.

HOLMES: Presumptive U.S. Democratic Presidential Nominee, Hillary Clinton speaking there. Meanwhile the U.S. President Barack Obama responding to the news of the shootings in Dallas while on his trip to Europe, Mr. Obama is in Poland to attend the NATO summit there. The White House announcing that the president is going to come back earlier, a day early and will go to Dallas next week as we said. But while Mr. Obama's focus may have shifted to Dallas, in Warsaw the future of NATO and the EU topped the agenda. Our Nic Robertson with more on that.

NIC ROBERTSON: Before even NATO's 28 leaders could assemble, talking points of the day tragically torn off course.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: I speak for every single 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.

ROBERTSON: But despite the deaths in Dallas, meetings went ahead. The international terror threat of ISIS high on the agenda. Also talking Brexit with EU leaders easing economic fallout.

OBAMA: No one has an interest in protracted adversarial negotiations.

ROBERTSON: Opinions from the two European Presidency match highlighting the challenges ahead.

DONALD TUSK, PRESIDENT EUROPEAN COUNCIL: Maintaining the closest possible relations between the EU and the UK is in European and American interest.

JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER, PRESIDENT EUROPEAN COMMISSION: I would like to repeat here what we have said in Brussels the other day. That we cannot start negotiations until the British authorities will (not) have notified under the regime of article 50, the intention to leave the European Union.

ROBERTSON: The intended message of the summit, unity in the face of growing Russian aggression that includes the buzzing of U.S. warships, bolstering troops on NATO's eastern border and building sophisticated missile systems. From cleaning (INAUDIBLE) north to Syria in the south. The answer being fine tuned in Warsaw for additional NATO battalions beefing up 40,000 troops and equipment already committed.

JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: Our presence will be multinational. And the clear message state "An attack on one ally is an attack the whole alliance."

REBERTSON: Obama announcing one of those battalions coming from the U.S.

OBAMA: The United States will deploy a battalion. Roughly, 1,000 American soldiers, here in Poland on a rotational basis to serve shoulder to shoulder with polar shoulders. In other words, Poland is going to be seeing an increase in NATO and American personnel and the most modern capable military equipment.

ROBERTSON: NATO is leaving the door open to diplomacy with Russia but most of the meetings here focus on what to do if that fails. For example, building bolder resilience to combat the tactics Russia used to annex Crimea. Nic Robertson CNN, Warsaw, Poland.

HOLMES: And we are still keeping an eye on Phoenix, Arizona where a protest there has gotten a little bit out of hand. There's not many protesters but those that are there being quite active in the last hour or so, causing a bit of trouble. The police have, we're told been using pepper spray on a couple of occasions to try to disperse them. And you can see, there really isn't very many there but causing a little bit of trouble. We will continue to monitor this and bring you any developments as they come to hand.

And protests of course continuing all week in the wake of the police shootings that we have reporting on. Marches in one major U.S. city blocked traffic demanding change. We'll have the latest on that. Coming up.

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ZAIN ASHER: Hello everyone. I'm Zain Asher and this is your" Road to Rio." With the opening ceremony less than a month away, an Oxford University study has found that Brazil's Olympic Games are actually running 51% over budget. The cost over ran -- amount to $1.6 billion and comes at a time when Brazil is facing its second year of recession. The Brazilian army has been fined $12,000 after it killed a jaguar. A jaguar named Juma, was used in Olympic torch relay ceremony a few weeks ago. The army killed the animal after it escaped its leech -- leash, rather and launched at a soldier. Environmental official said the army had violated several regulations.

Mexico's football federation has announced its 18-player squad for the Olympics. The team will be made up of largely players from its domestic league. They are hoping to defend their gold medal from the 2012 London Games. Mexico is in a group with Germany, one of the tournament favorite as well as South Korea and Fiji.

Samsung is out with an Olympic Games limited edition Galaxy S7 Edge phone. More than 12,000 phones will be given to Olympic athletes. The handset features Olympic rings and the case and the interface. All right everyone. Thank you so much for watching. That was your "Road to Rio" update. I'm Zain Asher.

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HOWELL: You're watching CNN Live coverage breaking news in Phoenix, Arizona. You see a line of police officers there lined up in the streets. There are protesters on the other side. We understand that the police officers there have used pepper spray on that crowd. Again dispersing that crowd. There was concern earlier about using that pepper spray and perhaps the people in the front would run back and trample the people in the back. So, we understand that officers are lined up and trying to do the job of dispersing that crowd with the care of not causing a situation where people are trampled in the back of the crowd. This live aerial image in Phoenix, Arizona where the time right now there 11:54 p.m. Phoenix Time.

You see the chopper overhead and several protesters on the ground. Keep in mind, this has been playing out for some time now. We've seen some people pepper sprayed. This has been happening, you know, throughout the evening. And as the camera zooms in, you get a sense there of protesters who really aren't looking to leave. These protesters are still in the streets in Phoenix. And officers lined up to block them from proceeding.

We will continue to follow these live images and bring you any developments as we learn them here on CNN. i'm George Howell here in Dallas, Texas. I want to show you an image that's really poignant here in Downtown, Dallas. We can cut over to this other camera that shows the skyline of Dallas. The Bank of America tower you see that it is in blue tonight. That building typically lit up in green here in Downtown, Dallas. But tonight, this city, the Dallas-Forth Worth metroplex honoring the fact that five police officers lost their lives in the line of duty.

I'm George Howell here live in Dallas, Texas. We'll continue to follow the breaking news here as we learn more about protesters and marches across the country that have played out after a week of police shootings. Thousands of people gathered in the City of Atlanta, Georgia. They were blocking streets there and a freeway ramp. Look at this video here -- there in Downtown, Atlanta. CNN's Polo Sandoval reports on Friday's peaceful protests.

POLO SANDOVAL: Well, peaceful yet tense is one way to describe what took place on the streets of Atlanta, Friday evening. It all started as a peaceful march through the streets of downtown but authorities quickly sealed off the route as some of these protesters, thousands of them were taking as soon as they were heading towards the interstate authorities basically creating what was a human chain here. Uniforms, shoulder to shoulder here keeping some of these protesters from making their way on to the interstate as the Mayor of Atlanta said, the main concern here is they don't want anybody to get hurt. Whether it's a police officers, protesters and especially, some of the people who are simply out for a drive.

So that's one of the reasons why things did escalate a bit during the early evening hours. That's when you basically had authorities, troopers, police officers facing off with some of these -- some of these demonstrators as well. But I have to say, what was interesting is that there were actual conversations that were happening between law enforcement and some of these demonstrators as well at the head of the line. People were having conversations. In fact, there were some individuals that would actually go to these troopers, shake their hand and say thank you for their service.

So, it's an interesting dynamic on the streets of Atlanta. Authorities will be on high alert throughout the weekend. They do say that they will be a more taking a more tactical approach for future demonstrations in light of what happened in Dallas. Back to you.

HOLMES: All right. Thanks to Polo Sandoval there. Now, thanks for being with us this hour. I'm Michael Holmes at the CNN Center in Atlanta.

HOWELL: And I'm George Howell live in Dallas. More of our special coverage on the Dallas shooting continues. Right after the break.

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