Dallas police shooting: Mother 'shot while shielding children from bullets'

Her sister says Shetamia Taylor threw herself over her sons as soon as the shooting started

Shetemia Taylor went to the protest with her four sons (Twitter)

The victims of the shooting in Dallas on Thursday include a 37-year-old woman who was wounded while trying to protect her children with her body.

Shetamia Taylor was at the protest with her four sons, aged between 12 and 17. She is thought to be the only non-police casualty, and was undergoing surgery early on Friday morning.

Her sister, Theresa Williams, said Ms Taylor threw herself over her sons as soon as the shooting started.

Ms Taylor was shot in the right calf, and an image of her wounded leg was shared by the family on social media.

Ms Williams said two of Ms Taylor's children became separated from their mother following the shooting and became stuck behind a police barricade.

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Five police officers have died and six more are injured after snipers opened fire on the protest, which took place after two black men were killed by US police officers this week.

Philandro Castile, a black school cafeteria worker, was shot during a routine traffic stop on Wednesday in Minnesota.

A day ealier, a black father-of-five, Alton Sterling, was shot dead in Louisiana. The killings prompted national outrage at the treatment of black Americans, who are nine times more likely to be killed than other citizens.

The shooting has been called an "orchestrated attack" and is the deadliest day for US law enforcement since 9/11.

A former member of the US House of Representatives has declared “this is now war” in reaction to the deaths.

US President Barack Obama has condemned the shootings as "vicious, calculated and despicable".