Eyewitness Who Captured Dallas Shootings On Video Describes Horror, Confusion

Allison Griswold lives in downtown Dallas and heard gunshots from her apartment last night. She tells Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson she first thought they were fireworks. But as soon as she realized they were gunshots, she started videotaping and later tweeted the videos.

(Editor’s Note: This post previously included Griswold’s tweeted videos from the attack, but she has since set her account to private, so the videos no longer appear.)

Interview Highlights: Allison Griswold

On her initial thoughts after hearing gunfire

“I actually heard close to 10 or 11 (shots) before I hit record. At first, I thought it must have been fireworks, because even though as late as I think the 6th, people were shooting them off over here. At first I thought that must be it, because you never assume that it's going to be something like that. And then as soon as it kept going I just knew that it, it wasn’t fireworks and it was something really, really bad.”

On what she saw after realizing it was gunfire

“I couldn’t see much, but what I could see was as soon the shots really begin in earnest you had DART officers and Dallas PD officers running in that direction, running towards the shots, crossing paths with people that were fleeing. I saw people laying on the ground to take cover because they weren’t sure where the shots were coming from or whether they were close. I saw police officers yelling at people downstairs to, you know, move away.”

On the situation in Dallas today

“Right now, all the streets are blocked off with police vehicles. There are police officers downstairs. There are helicopters circling up above. I can’t really tell what they're doing, it’s just, they're busy down there.”

On her reaction to the shootings

“I mean we’re privileged in the sense that you think that it can never happen to you and it’s never going to happen where you are. And it’s, it’s a bit of a shock to have it happen in your own backyard and then be faced with, with you know, seeing things like that. It’s very shocking and to be honest with you I haven’t gone to sleep yet, because I’m still not sure what to think about it.”

Guest

Allison Griswold, attorney who lives in Dallas.

Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit NPR.