Middlesex Legislators, Law Enforcement, React to Dallas Shootings

MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MA—Five law enforcement officers were shot dead and seven others wounded in Dallas Thursday night when a sniper opened fire during a rally to protest the killing of two black men by police. In the wake of the tragedy, several prominent Massachusetts voices took to social media to grieve for those slain and express solidarity with the Dallas Police Department.

Among them were law enforcement agencies, first responders and state representatives.

• See also: Dallas Shootings: Snipers Kill 5 Officers, Wound 7, During Protest Over Police Killings Of Black Men: Updated

Police departments from Sudbury, Marlborough, Framingham, Arlington, Tewksbury, Concord and Holliston, as well as Massachusetts State Police and the Middlesex Sheriff's Department, sent out condolences on Twitter and Facebook Thursday night:

Several police and fire departments were shown expressions of support on Friday morning, such as a the Westborough police receiving a gift certificate to Arturo's, and a resident from Natick buying Massachusetts State Police some donuts.

The tragedy unfolded in Texas as many in Massachusetts were already in bed. State politicians, many of whom had spent the day railing against gun violence in Washington, D.C., had no immediate response.
Representative Katherine Clark has been at the forefront of Democrats' gun-regulation push, and responded with raw pain and horror late Thursday:

Congresswoman Niki Tsongas, who has also joined the Democrats' fight for gun regulation, quickly jumped to social media to demand action in light of the Dallas tragedy. She joined Congressman Seth Moulton to share photos of lives lost to gun violence.

State Senator Jamie Eldridge Tweeted, and also shared several others on his Twitter feed.

Boston Mayor Martin Walsh released the following statement Friday morning.

My thoughts are with the Dallas officers who were killed last night, and their families, and I'm praying for fast recovery for the injured. I unequivocally condemn violence against law enforcement officers. Whatever motivated this horrific attack, we should do all we can as a community and a nation to prevent it from inflaming existing tensions around police interactions. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, violence solves no problem but is "a descending spiral ending in destruction for all." We can and we must work together to end all the deadly violence afflicting our country.

Alex Newman and Alison Bauter contributed to this story. It will be updated as more feedback from Middlesex County officials continues.

Photo via Niki Tsongas Twitter page