5 things to know about the Dallas police shooting

What happened?

The Dallas Police Department was under siege early Saturday morning.

A man planted pipe bombs and opened fire on police headquarters at about 12:30 a.m. He then drove to a fast-food restaurant's parking lot in an armored-style vehicle outfitted with gun ports on the side.

The suspect rammed police vehicles, sprayed others with bullets and shot out the windows and front desk of the police station where a worker on duty had just left to go to a vending machine.

After an hours-long standoff with officers the man was shot by a police sniper at 5 a.m.

No police or civilians were injured.

Why?

According to reports, suspect James Boulware had a troubled family history and was upset with police after losing custody of his son and being called a terrorist.

Boulware got in a fight with his mother and uncle in 2013, according to the Dallas Morning News. After the altercation, Boulware could not hold a job and he lost custody of his son to his mother. He had to sell many of his possessions, including his house and tools.

Police Chief David Brown said Boulware blamed police for losing custody of his son and "accusing him of being a terrorist," according to the Associated Press.

"They finally broke him," Boulware's father said to the Dallas Morning News. "The system failed him to brink of breaking him. I don't say in any way that James is right. I tried to tell him that the police were just doing their job."

Who was involved?

Early reports of the incident indicated there could have been more than one suspect involved, however, police now believe there was only one person.

James Boulware is the name the suspect used during a phone call with police, however police are not confirming the identity until a medical examiner's report.

"This is the name given, however it has not been confirmed that this is the person we are talking to," Dallas Police wrote on its blog.

What’s the latest?

People who live near the police station are allowed to return to their homes. Public transportation including light rail and bus lines are running again.

Police still are trying to determine if the suspect died in the gunfire or if his vehicle was rigged to explode.

What’s next?

Dallas police officers are at risk, better security is needed at substations and armored vehicles are necessary too, the Dallas Police Association said in the wake of the shootout.

"We are under attack in America," said Frederick Frazier, vice president of the association, to the Dallas Morning News. "We need the tools to get the job done."