Dallas Police Shootings

James Van Der Beek, who trained with police for a movie role, says cops spend a disproportionate amount of time training with guns than understanding how to deal with the community.

James was leaving M Cafe in L.A. Friday when our photog asked about the Dallas shootings. Van Der Beek, who trained with police for roles in "CSI" and "Labor Day," thinks the emphasis on weapon's training makes some cops prone to violence.

John Legend denounced the Dallas shooter -- not only for what he did to 12 police officers and 2 civilians -- but for inflicting a major setback to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Legend had a message for the families of the Dallas officers who were killed or injured. He also told us he's concerned the shooter stupidly thought he was helping the fight against police brutality by attacking police.

The singer, who is active in BLM, says protesters should NOT be deterred by what happened in Dallas -- and he offers a solution to all the violence.

NFL great LaDainian Tomlinson -- who lives in the Dallas area -- says the assassination of police officers and the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile should serve as a wake-up call to superstar athletes.

TMZ Sports got LT'S reaction to the violence that erupted in his home state, and he was deeply concerned about the future for his son. As for solutions to the issues -- he talked about why more athletes don't use their public platform to speak out.

The police assassinations hit close to home for Congressman Pete Sessions ... he represents Dallas, and thinks it's a huge mistake to try to and come up with one solution for the entire country.

Sessions, Chairman of the House Rules Committee and one of the most powerful members of Congress, told our photog Friday on Capitol Hill ... the underlying causes of violence vary from community to community -- the murders in Dallas and Chicago, he says, are different.

It was a remarkable moment ... The Game and Snoop Dogg forged an alliance with L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and LAPD Police Chief Charlie Beck, in an emotionally powerful plea for peace.

Game and Snoop, who were in downtown L.A. Friday morning for a peace march, met with the Mayor and Chief behind closed doors and then they all walked out in lockstep to make their case for everyone to stop the killings, the murders, the carnage.

Waka Flocka Flame is actually optimistic after the deadly violence in Dallas, Minnesota and Louisiana this week -- and believes this is a great opportunity for Americans to come together.

We got Waka at LAX Friday morning and rather than being depressed about the tragic events -- as millions of people are today -- he thinks it's time to rally ... no matter what your race.

It was a remarkably positive outlook, but at the very end his tone changed when we asked specifically about what happened in Dallas. Watch the clip ... he strongly hints bad cops need to punished, and if the courts won't do it ... someone will.

Officer Patrick Zamarripa, one of five Dallas cops assassinated Thursday, had a brush with Hollywood ... thanks to Cuba Gooding Jr.

Zamarripa posted this pic back in February after he and his partner had a chance meeting with Cuba in Dallas. Zamarripa used Twitter a lot ... his last post on July 4th read, "Happy Birthday to the greatest country on the face of this planet. My beloved America!"

It's no secret ... Cuba loves cops. We got video of him in NYC a few months back surrounded by officers ... and it was hugs all around.

Carmelo Anthony says KILLING cops is not the answer ... it'll take peace, not violence to fix our "broken" justice system ... and he's willing to lead the charge.

Anthony posted the impassioned plea only hours after the Dallas shooting, saying, "We need to be smart about what we are doing. We need to steer our anger in the right direction."

Melo says the answer isn't in marches or posts on social media ... "we tried that."

But it isn't in violence either ... "Shooting 11 cops and killing 5 WILL NOT work."

Anthony admits he doesn't have the solution ... but called on "all my fellow ATHLETES to step up and take charge" ... by demanding change of politicians and community leaders.

Micah Xavier Johnson -- the 25-year-old law enforcement confirms as the Dallas shooter -- had involvement with a handful of pro-black and police watchdog groups.

Johnson's social media accounts reveal he was a member of several Black Panther organizations, including The New Black Panther Party Houston Chapter.

Johnson also subscribed to a Facebook group called "The Black Matrix," which aims to dismantle the system it believes "white societal elites" have put in place to "control the perceptions of its Black populations."

Johnson -- who served in the U.S. Army -- had involvement with Facebook communities including "Filming Cops" and "Police The Police," which describes itself as a platform for documenting and archiving police misconduct, brutality and abuse of authority.

Dallas PD Chief David Brown said before they took down Johnson he said he was angry about police brutality and wanted to kill white officers.

Snoop Dogg is doing his part to curb the violence with what he calls a "love offering" ... saying you can't eliminate hate with hate.

TMZ obtained this video of at least 9 Dallas cops taking what appears to be a possible person of interest into custody immediately after Thursday's mass shooting ... and despite crushing pressure and emotion, they keep their cool.

The man in question clearly captured the attention of police because he's wearing a bulletproof vest. We don't know if police kept the man in custody or if he had any connection to Thursday's shootings.

The scene was almost shockingly calm considering what had unfolded only moments before, but there's still tension ... you hear bystanders crying out "Do what they say!!" as the man cautiously approaches.

Jada Pinkett Smith seems to think the violence in Dallas was virtually inevitable, saying, "Desperate communities do desperate things."

A photog got Jada at LAX Thursday, and asked about the recent police involved shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. Her reaction was poignant. It's important to note this video was shot before the Dallas news broke in L.A.

Dallas Police Chief David Brown just confirmed the obvious ... one of the shooters was gunning to kill white people, and especially cops.

The Chief said the killer was angry over the 2 recent shootings and also upset with the Black Lives Matter movement.

The end of his comments is heart-wrenching, talking about the lack of support police feel everyday.

Syndicated radio talk show host Joe Walsh declared war on President Obama after the Dallas cop killings, saying, "This is now war. Watch out Obama. Watch out black lives matter punks. Real America is coming after you."

The former congressman went wild on Twitter last night, deleting the comment after a torrent of criticism over his remarks.

Walsh also called Obama a "cop hater" who was no different from "the thugs on the street."

Walsh was critical of the remarks Obama made Thursday night -- about racism in the criminal justice system -- claiming the comments may have triggered the sniper attack in Dallas.

He said, "Obama says cops are racist so 2 uneducated black thugs shoot 10 Dallas cops."

Dallas police have several suspects in custody, and are searching for more in the ambush-style shootings of 12 officers ... 5 of whom were killed during a protest.

The attack happened in the middle of a peaceful protest against the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile -- and police believe the shots came from snipers in elevated positions. Gunshots echoed through downtown Dallas for several minutes during the fierce battle.

Early Friday morning police said they had arrested 3 suspects and had at least one more cornered in a building. One of the suspects reportedly told police there were multiple bombs planted around the city.

Police say they did find one suspicious package which the bomb squad planned to detonate.

Police had released a photo of a man in a camouflage shirt who was walking through the protest with a rifle. Police initially called him a "person of interest," but he later turned himself in, and police now say he was not involved. Texas is an open carry state.

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