Dallas officers shot to death include newlywed, Iraq veteran

Among the five policemen killed in a sniper attack in Dallas one has been identified as a newlywed officer of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) authority and another an Iraq veteran-turned police officer of the agency.

Five officers died and seven were injured in the Thursday night attack, the mayor's office said, reported CNN.

The five officers who died during the attack were Brent Thompson, Patrick Zamarripa, Michael Krol, Lorne Ahrens and Michael Smith.

Thompson, a Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) officer, was the first officer to die in the agency's line of duty.

"Brent was a great officer," said James Spiller, the Police Chief of DART.

"He was an outstanding patrol officer as well as a rail officer. We have the highest respect for him," added the chief.

A nearly seven-year veteran of the transit force, Brent, got married two weeks ago, Spiller said. His spouse was a fellow transit officer.

Thompson was an international police liaison officer for DynCorp International for nearly five years, starting in 2004, his LinkedIn profile said.

He was in southern Afghanistan as well, according to the profile, where he was a "Team Leader" and "Lead Mentor" to the "Southern Provincial Police Chief."

Another DART officer who died was Patrick Zamarripa, a US Navy veteran who was deployed to Bahrain as part of the Iraq War effort, stated military records.

He was the father of two children and greatly loved by his own father, Rick Zamarripa.

The third officer who sacrificed his life in the line of duty was Michael Krol, whose lifelong dream was to be a police officer, said his uncle, Jim Ehlke.

Krol worked with the Wayne County Sheriff's Office from 2003 to 2007.

Another Dallas Officer, Lorne Ahrens also gave up his life for the nation.

He was a great co-worker, said Sgt. Anthony Gunn of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

"I had the honor of working with Lorne at LASD's Lennox Station in the early 1990s and at Lancaster Station in the late 1990's," Gunn said.

Michael Smith was also among the dead DART officers. He joined the department in 1989, his sister said.

The sniper unleashed an attack on the police when a multi ethnic protest against the killing of two Afro American men by the police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and in the Minnesota suburb of Falcon Heights, was concluding.

--IANS

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