DART mourns loss of first officer killed in line of duty

A Dallas Area Rapid Transit officer was one of the five officers killed during the deadly attack in Dallas Thursday night, making him the first ever DART officer to die in the line of duty.

Officer Brent Thompson, 43, was killed when two snipers opened fire at officers who were working the demonstration in Downtown Dallas in wake of the officer-involved shootings in Minnesota and Louisiana.

DART Police Chief James Spiller described Thompson as a “courageous” and “great guy.” He was married just two weeks ago and his wife, Emily, also works for the police force. She was not on duty during the protest.

Thompson had six grown children from a previous marriage and had recently welcomed his third grandchild, Tara Thornton, a close friend of Thompson’s 22-year-old daughter, told the Associated Press. He lived an hour’s drive south of Dallas, in Corsicana.

“He was a brave man dedicated to his family,” said Thornton. “He loved being a police officer. He instantly knew that’s what he wanted to do. He knew he wanted to save lives and protect people. He had a passion for it.”

Three other DART officers were also shot, but are expected to be okay. They have been identified as: Omar Cannon, 44, Misty McBride, 32, and Jesus Retana, 39.

The agency redirected their home page to express their grief and honor the loss of Thompson who had been with DART since 2009.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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