Candlelight vigil held for slain police officers in U.S. shooting incident

More than 1,000 people attended a candlelight vigil Monday night in downtown Dallas to honor the five police officers killed by a sniper during a peaceful march.

During the vigil, which was also attended by police officers, relatives and friends of the killed officers, Dallas Police Association President Ron Pinkston read out all the fallen officers' names, according to the local daily The Dallas Morning News.

Pinkston asked fellow officers to serve in the memory of their lost colleagues while Dallas Police Chief David Brown hailed the police officers as superheroes.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit chief James Spiller said Texas, the second-largest state in the nation, must lead on race relations in America and on supporting and protecting police officers.

In a related development, U.S. President Barack Obama and former President George W. Bush are scheduled to attend a private memorial for the slain officers in Dallas on Tuesday.

Last Thursday, a sniper named Micah Johnson opened fire on police officers during a downtown peaceful protest against police's killing of African-Americans in two other states, killing five officers and injuring seven others and two civilians.

It was reported that the shooter, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, used three guns that appeared to have been bought legally.

On Tuesday, some Dallas downtown streets will reopen to normal traffic while some others, such as Main Street and Austin Street, will remain closed until further notice. Endi