After 12 police officers were shot, five of them fatally, during a protest Thursday night in Dallas, officials released a photo of a "person of interest" in the attack.
The man was shown with a semi-automatic rifle, which authorities believed was similar to the weapons used against police.
But one of the organizers of the protest told CBS DFW the man in the photo, Mark Hughes, is his brother and had no involvement in the shootings. Hughes later turned himself in to authorities.
People at the protest posted videos showing him in the crowd — away from the parking garages where snipers opened fire on officers.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Video captured by the Dallas Morning News showed Hughes standing on the street with other protesters after gunfire erupted.
Moments later, video posted to Facebook showed Hughes handing his gun over to authorities.
Advertisement
Texas law allows rifles to be carried openly in most public places. Critics called out police for accusing a man who was exercising his rights.
Others questioned whether the man's race influenced police in naming him a suspect.
Advertisement
After a few hours in police custody, Hughes was released early Friday.
After his release, Hughes told local media he was unaware he had been named a suspect in the shootings until he received a phone call notifying him of the police tweet, and immediately turned himself in to officers.
"I can't believe it," he said. "I can't believe it."
Hughes said he had received death threats from people who assumed he was responsible for the shootings.
"At the end of the day, the system was trying to get me," Hughes said. "An apology? I'm not satisfied with an apology."
11 Officers Shot By Snipers At Dallas Protest, 5 Dead
https://www.buzzfeed.com/salvadorhernandez/shots-fired-at-dallas-protest
{{ blurb }}
{{/blurb}} {{#picture_url}}