Police line (illustration)
Police line (illustration)iStock

A protest against police brutality in the US state of Texas turned deadly as eleven police officers were shot on Thursday evening.

Dallas police Chief David Brown says that two snipers carried out the attack while waiting in elevated positions. Four officers are were killed in the attack.

"Let’s all come together and support our police officers," he said. "I've never been as proud. I believe we've got to one of the best forces in the nation, and we've done things with civil rights in the right way, and we've done it for the safety of our citizens. So please, let’s come together now as a city."

The Dallas Police Department asked the public to help find one of the suspects. A picture depicts him as an African-American man in a camouflage shirt and carrying a rifle.

He has since turned himself in, and is now classified as a "person of interest" rather than a suspect. Another reported suspect is also in custody.

Authorities believe that the suspects also threatened to set off a bomb in downtown Dallas. The explosives squad is currently dealing with a suspicious object found near the second suspect's location.

Protests have been spreading around the United States after police were filmed killing two African-American men.