Slain Dallas transit officer was a newlywed

DALLAS — The Dallas transit police chief says an officer who was fatally shot during a downtown protest was a newlywed whose bride also works for the police force.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit police Chief James Spiller described Officer Brent Thompson on Friday as a “courageous” and “great guy.”

Thompson was among five police officers killed during a Thursday night demonstration to protest police shooting deaths of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota.

Spiller says Thompson got married two weeks ago. His wife, Emily, was not on duty at the protest.

The police chief last spoke to Thompson on Tuesday as they passed each other in a hallway. Spiller says he asked how the newlyweds were doing and how things were going with Thompson’s job.