DART police officer among those killed in Dallas

[Editor's note: This story was updated at 10:28 a.m. today.]

A Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) police officer was among five police officers shot and killed last night during a sniper attack in Dallas.

Brent Thompson
Photo: Dallas Area Rapid Transit

Seven other police officers and two civilians were wounded in the attack, which occurred during a demonstration against the shootings of black men by police in Louisiana and Minnesota earlier this week, the Dallas Morning News reported this morning.

DART Police Officer Brent Thompson, 43, was killed during the protest, DART officials said in a post on the agency's website. Thompson is the first DART officer killed in the line of duty since DART formed a police department in 1989. He joined the department in 2009.

Among the wounded police officers, three are DART officers and they are expected to recover from their injuries, according to DART. No other DART employees working in downtown Dallas during the protest or shooting were injured.
 
DART services in downtown Dallas were suspended following the shooting. The agency was evaluating its operating plans for today. It will post updates on DART.org and via Twitter @dartmedia or by email update service at www.DART.org/rideralerts.

"As you can imagine, our hearts are broken. This is something that touches every part of our organization," DART officials said in the website post.

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) this morning released the following statement from its Chairwoman Valarie McCall and Acting President and Chief Executive Officer Richard White:

"It was with a very heavy heart that the American Public Transportation Association and its transit members learned about the shooting in Dallas last night. We mourn the loss of innocent life and send our prayers and thoughts to the officers, including the DART officers, and their families.

"We have reached out to the Dallas Area Rapid Transit to extend our condolences on behalf of the public transportation industry."