The Dallas Police Department has been left devastated after Officer Darron Burks was tragically shot and killed in the line of duty on Thursday night near the Oak Cliff Community Center. Alongside him were two other officers who were wounded during the incident, and now recovering from their injuries.
Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia shared an emotional update at a press conference held on Friday morning, where he referred to Burks as both a “brother” and a “hero. The police chief expressed the department’s grief over the senseless loss of a dedicated officer. He said, “Last night we lost a brother, a hero.
Officer Darron Burks was not only an officer but also a former high school math teacher at the Texas Can Academy’s Pleasant Grove Campus. His passion for helping his community led him to enroll in the police academy, demonstrating a commitment to serve others. His principal, Tina Shaw, highlighted that his dedication to making a positive impact on those around him was evident both as a teacher and as a police officer.
A former student of Burks’, Adrian Coleman, shared how he mentored troubled youths. As a troubled youth, he made sure to instill knowledge and provide me with the tools I needed to graduate, to be a man out there in this world,” said Coleman. He expressed his gratitude for the time and effort Burks invested in him as an individual.
The suspected shooter has been identified as 30-year-old Corey Cobb-Bey, who was killed in a subsequent shootout with police after a highway chase. According to Chief Garcia, the officers were “targeted” by Cobb-Bey for nothing more than wearing their uniforms and carrying out their duties diligently. The chief dismissed the term “ambush”, asserting that Officer Burks was “executed” in cold blood during this tragic incident.
Garcia detailed how Cobb-Bey approached Burks while recording the encounter on a cellphone, striking up a conversation before pulling out a handgun and opening fire. He also revealed that there is no evidence suggesting Burks knew Cobb-Bey prior to the shooting. The police got a 911 call about an officer in distress and found Burks in his marked patrol vehicle critically injured at 10:11 p.m.
Two other officers, Senior Corporal Jamie Farmer and Senior Corporal Karissa David, also exchanged gunfire with the suspect before he was shot dead at the end of a high-speed police chase on Interstate 35 from Dallas to Lewisville. Both Farmer and David were wounded in the exchange, with Farmer being hit in the leg and David sustaining a facial injury.
The entire department has been left reeling from this tragic event, with officers putting their lives on the line every day to serve and protect their community. Chief Garcia said, “We came close to losing other officers. Officers who put their lives on the line to protect their brother, and it is by the grace of God that they are still with us today.
The Dallas Police Department has launched an investigation into this incident, which will look at all the circumstances leading up to Burks’ tragic death as well as the actions taken by Cobb-Bey. As the community mourns the loss of a dedicated and passionate officer, it is clear that his memory will live on through the lives he touched during his time both as an educator and a protector of the people.
