Five Dallas police officers have been killed and several are in critical condition after snipers shot at police manning a Black Lives Matter rally on Thursday (July 7) evening. A total of 11 officers were shot.
Police lined up outside the Parkland Hospital in the hours after the shooting:
The first victim to be identified was Brent Thompson, 43, an officer with the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) for almost seven years. According to DART, he is the unit’s first to be killed in the line of duty. Three other DART officers were also injured, but their lives are not in danger.
A former police academy teacher, Thompson describes himself on his LinkedIn profile as someone who is motivated by a “team” atmosphere. ”I enjoy working on challenging tasks and problem solving with my peers. I am constantly looking for different ways to serve the department, this helps to keep my work from becoming sedentary and boring,” he wrote.
Before DART, Thompson worked for the military contractor DynCorp International for four years, training and mentoring teams in Iraq and Afghanistan. “In all locations we mentored and taught our Iraqi, Afghan counterparts democratic policing, and assisted in the establishment of the police departments in those locations,” Thompson wrote on his profile.
The family of Patrick Zamarripa, a Dallas police department officer, has identified him as another victim.
Zamarripa, a father, sports fan, and proud Texan, describes himself on Twitter as “addicted to the thrill of this job.”
“I love my Country, Texas, Family, God, Friends, and Sports! Don’t Tread on Me! ‘Merica,” his profile says.
Three officers with the city transit police, Omar Cannon, 44, Misty McBride, 32, and Jesus Retana 39, have also been injured but are expected to recover. One civilian, a woman named Shetamia Taylor, was reportedly shot in the calf while shielding her sons and is also expected to recover.
Before the shooting started, members of the police were photographed posing with protestors, and the rally was described as “peaceful.”