Dallas Police had no warning.
Officers were there to protect the demonstrators who were protesting police shootings of black men.
And it was peaceful – until a lone gunman opened fire from above the street – shooting at the officers who never had a chance.
Police in Dallas weren’t prepared for a fight, dressed in what they call ‘summer uniforms’.
Short-sleeved shirts and no riot gear.
Some officers even posed for photos with demonstrators who took to the streets to protest two recent shootings of black men.
Within hours the peaceful protest became a police ambush.
A sniper shooting twelve officers – five of them dead.
On CNN, former NYPD Detective Harr Houck got emotional talking about the little protection police have when they’re out on the street.
“A 9mm handgun.. and you’re taking on somebody with an automatic weapon and you have a bulletproof vest that will not stop that round,” he said.
“I hope people could really appreciate what these officers did.” Through tears, he added “It’s hard for every police officer to see this.. I’m sorry.”
The move to softer uniforms and less of a military approach was thought to reduce tensions at protests, where some communities believe police in riot gear inflame demonstrators.
But in Dallas it was a heavy price to pay for that softer approach.
“We’re heartbroken,” Dallas Police Chief David Brown said. “There are no words to describe the atrocity on our city.”
Police experts say large scale demonstrations require a delicate balance between keeping the peace and being ready if that peace is broken.
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