A gunman in Dallas, Texas, died after he opened fire on police headquarters, left pipe bombs, then sat in a standoff with authorities inside a van thought to contain other explosives.
The man was shot by a police sniper, and hours later, police said he was confirmed to be dead. By 10 a.m. local time, police were approaching the vehicle and working to neutralize any explosives inside.
Following the attack, in which he sprayed the building with gunfire as officers ducked for cover, he fled the scene.
A car chase ensued until he stopped at a parking lot in the suburb of Hutchins. There, hours of protracted negotiations between police and the fugitive, who claimed to have explosive devices on him, took place.
A police sniper shot the suspect through the windshield of a vehicle, but Dallas Police Chief David Brown said he was not taking any chances.
"We're not going to send our officers up to that van until we're sure it's not rigged with explosives," Brown said.
Authorities later determined the man had used black powder in several pipe bombs. The bombs also contained shrapnel, including screws and nails, police said.
The man's motives are not exactly clear but earlier reports said he blamed the police for losing custody of his kids and for accusing him of being a terrorist.
At the news conference on Saturday, however, Brown said authorities were unsure of his motives.
Dallas Police officials said the suspect identified himself as James Boulware, but his identity had not been confirmed as of Saturday afternoon.
Jim Boulware, a Dallas resident, told CNN that FBI and ATF agents went to his house and told him his son, James, was killed in the violent standoff.
He said James was angry about his mother, who had been granted custody of James' son in April. Jim Boulware said he was also afraid his son would have targeted his anger at his mother.
The suspect's armored van was ultimately detonated with two separate blasts by police.
The armored van was detonated just before noon. Two separate explosions
Two pipe bombs were inside the van, police said. During the intentional detonation by police, the van caught fire and rounds of ammunition began going off.
No police officers were injured in the early morning shooting, which authorities described as a blessing.
.@DPDChief says, "We barely survived the intent of this suspect." #Dallas police officers literally dodged bullets.
Before he was killed, the man identified himself as James Boulware, according to reports.
On Saturday morning, police were still working to officially confirm his identity.
We are researching the name the suspect gave, however the identity of the suspect has not been confirmed.
Boulware, 35, was in 2013 accused of domestic violence after his mother and uncle said he physically fought them. The charges were later dismissed.
In a police report, family members said that Boulware talked to himself frequently and "appears delusional." The fight in 2013 began after he became agitated while talking about religion, Jews, Christians, and North Korea, the report said.
After the fight, he left the home, his family told police. He left with several guns, ammunition, and body armor, and family members said he had recently talked about "shooting up schools and churches."
He was arrested and held on $102,000 bond before the case was resolved, according to court records.
Meanwhile, investigators were working inside the bullet-riddled police headquarters.
#BREAKING inside @Dallaspd HQ riddled with bullet holes #DallasPDShooting
Various eyewitnesses said earlier there were a number of people involved in the shooting, but police have said the attack was likely carried out by one individual from various locations.
Initially, witness said there might have been 4 suspects. @DPDChief says we believe that one suspect shot from various locations.
These were the scenes at the police headquarters after it came under fire.
Here are some pictures of the damage at HQ.
This amateur video purports to show the moment the gunman drove into a police vehicle. Fire exchange immediately followed.
Armored van lured police, fired upon, and rammed police
The suspect gave a name to identify himself as James Boulware, a White male, 5’10”, 200 pounds.
Bags containing explosives were also left outside the city's police headquarters. When the bomb squad tried to remove one of the bags using a robot, it exploded. No officers were reported to have been injured.
DPD HQ & all 7 substations are secure. Our Explosives Ordinance Detonation Unit is investigating 4 suspicious bags left in front of DPD HQ
Brown said the bag which exploded contained a pipe. As a precaution authorities evacuated nearby residents.
The picture below shows the damage caused by the bomb which experts were trying to remove.
This is where the Explosive Ordinance Robot attempted to move one of the bags. #DallasPDShooting
#Breaking Our EOD robot took a hit from the initial explosion but is still functional and in use #DallasPDShooting
Police later said at least one of the devices did not contain explosives.
#Breaking Suspicious package at Northeast has been cleared and was not an explosive #DallasPDShooting
Others were later found to contain black powder.
#Breaking EOD techs believe black powder used in pipe bombs @DallasPD HQ - no C4 detected there #DallasPDShooting
We are in process of evacuating residents of the Southside on Lamar Complex, located at 1409 South Lamar Street.
It is the first time the Dallas Police Department has suffered such an attack.
Ladarrick Alexander and his fiancée, Laquita Davis, were on their way home, next to the police station, when they heard 15 or 20 gunshots.
They told the Associated Press the area is a quiet community.
"We don't see too much going around here at all," Alexander said.
Alexis Trejo, also a local resident, told The Dallas Morning News how he was caught by surprise.
"I didn't think much until we saw lights, then we just hear a bunch of gunshots," he said.