Cops have killed more than 100 black men in the US this year

THE shooting of 12 police officers at a Dallas protest comes after a catalogue of incidents where black men have been shot dead by police.

Two men died this week alone after being shot by officers in separate incidents, within hours of each other.

The first victim was Alton Sterling, 37, who was shot dead at point blank range while he was pinned to the floor by officers on Tuesday.

The shocking incident was captured on a mobile phone and harrowing footage shows two officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, grappling with Mr Sterling before pinning him down.

One suddenly shouts: “He’s got a gun!” and the other pushes his gun into Mr Sterling’s shoulder and shouts: “Hey, bro, you f*****g move, I swear to God.”

One officer then appears to shoot him repeatedly in his chest and back.

The police first attended the scene after an anonymous tip-off claimed a man was threatening someone with a gun outside a shop.

Just a few hours later, a woman live streamed the fallout after her boyfriend Philando Castile had been shot by police in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, on Wednesday.

Lavish Reynolds streamed the footage on Facebook Live, which showed Mr Castile bleeding heavily, while a police officer could be seen pointing his gun at him.

Ms Reynolds claims they had been pulled over for a broken tail light and the 32-year-old was shot as he reached for his ID and wallet — after being asked to produce it.

In the footage Ms Reynolds says: “The officer just shot him in his arm.”

A cop shouts, “Ma’am, keep your hands where they are,” then adds: “F***!”

Ms Reynolds, who was in the car with her four-year-old daughter, then speaks into her mobile phone camera and says: “He just shot his arm off.”

The officer can then be heard shouting: “I told him not to reach for it! I told him to get his hand open.”

Speaking calmly, the woman responds: “You told him to get his ID, sir, you told him to get his driver’s license.”

At that point, Mr Castile stops moving.

Ms Reynolds says: “Oh god, don’t tell me he’s dead. Please don’t tell me my boyfriend just went like that... please don’t tell me that he’s gone.

“Please don’t tell me this Lord, please Jesus don’t tell me that he’s gone.

“Please officer don’t tell me that you just did this to him. You shot four bullets into him, sir.”

Mr Castile later died in hospital.

Another man, Delrawn Small, 27, was shot in Brooklyn, New York on July 4, after getting into a row with an officer and punching him in the face.

Other high-profile cases of black men being killed by police across America include Michael Brown, 18, Eric Garner, 43, and Walter Scott, 50.