Dallas police shooting: Facebook safety check activated after sniper attack at protest

Facebook has activated the feature to allow local residents to tell family and friends they are safe

Facebook has now activated its safety check feature for people to assure their family and friends that they are safe after gunfire from snipers broke out at protests in Dallas, Texas on Thursday.

The tool is intended to allow people to easily tell their friends that they are safe in the wake of a disaster. If Facebook thinks that a user might be in an affected area, then they can mark themselves safe and have the message appear for their family and friends.

The gunfire started at around 8.45pm local time on Thursday while hundreds of people were gathered to protest over fatal police shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile this week in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and suburban St Paul, Minnesota.

Five police officers have died and seven have been injured in the shootings.

Three people are currently in custody and another suspect has reportedly shot himself after an hours-long standoff with officers in a garage.

Now, Facebook is giving those living in the local area the opportunity to tell their family and friends that they are safe.