NEW YORK • Shooter, a new USA Network series about a former sniper, is being postponed in response to last week's gunman attack in Dallas, which killed five police officers.

The premiere date of the series, which stars Ryan Phillippe as a former military marksman framed for a crime, was pushed back one week, from July 19 to 26, in the "light of recent tragic events and out of respect for the victims, their families and our viewers", USA Network said in a statement.

The delay was intended "to honour the fallen officers of Dallas, Texas", Eddie McClintock, one of the stars of the show, added via Twitter.

Shooter is based on the 2007 film of the same title, starring Mark Wahlberg, as well as on Point Of Impact, the 1993 novel by Stephen Hunter that originated the main character, a former Marine sniper named Bob Lee Swagger.

It was the first of nine books centred on the Swagger character. The postponement comes less than a week after one of the show's stuntmen was injured when he was struck by an SUV on set, according to reports.

The premiere delay also represents the second time in less than a year that real-world tragedy has forced USA Network to alter its schedule. In August, the season finale of Mr Robot was postponed for a week because a plot point loosely resembled the on-air shootings of two TV journalists in Virginia.

NEW YORK TIMES