The Dallas Police Department provided an emotional update after Officer Darron Burks was shot and killed, saying the former high school teacher was “executed” in the line of duty.
At a news conference Friday, Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said the department had lost a “brother” and a “hero” after the shooting.
“As a department and as a family, we are devastated,” Garcia said. “Last night we lost a brother, a hero. Officer Darron Burks was a son, a nephew, a friend to many, and he was senselessly and tragically murdered in the line of duty.”
The shooting, which happened around 10 p.m. Thursday night near the Oak Cliff Community Center, killed Burks and injured two other officers.
The suspected shooter, identified as 30-year-old Corey Cobb-Bey, was killed in a shootout with police after a chase on the highway.
“We almost lost other officers,” Garcia said. “Officers who risked their lives to protect their brothers, and it’s by the grace of God that they’re still with us today.”
The police chief said the officers were “targeted” by Cobb-Bey.
“Our officers were targeted solely because of their uniform and the courageous and honorable work that they do,” he said. “I want to be clear here, the word ‘ambush’ has been used wildly over the last 24 hours. That is not what happened here. Officer Burks was executed.”
Garcia revealed that Cobb-Bey approached Burks and began a conversation, while recording the encounter on a cell phone, before pulling out a handgun and opening fire.
Police said they had no evidence that Burks and Cobb-Bey knew each other.
“Cobb-Bey approached Burks and spoke to him briefly out of the driver’s side window while he recorded the encounter on a cell phone,” he said. “The suspect then pulled out a handgun and executed Officer Burks as he sat in his vehicle.”
Police said they received a 911 call about an officer in distress. Responding officers found Burks in his marked patrol vehicle, seriously injured.
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At 10:11 p.m., Master Corporal Jamie Farmer pulled into the parking lot after responding to a call for backup. Farmer was met with gunfire from Cobb-Bey. When Farmer returned fire, Cobb-Bey grabbed the shotgun and fired at Farmer, hitting him in the leg.
A minute later, Master Corporal Karissa David arrived on the scene.
The Cobb-Bey ran toward David, shooting her multiple times as she exited her vehicle.
According to police, David was shot in the face.
The officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect and two other officers were shot dead.
The suspect was shot and killed after a high-speed police chase on Interstate 35 from Dallas to Lewisville.
Burks was a former high school math teacher at the Pleasant Grove campus of Texas Can Academy whose passion for helping his community led him to enroll in the police academy, FOX 4 reported, citing sources.
“Last year, Officer Burks courageously decided to leave the field of education to serve our city as a member of the Dallas Police Department. His commitment to serving others, both as a teacher and as a police officer, exemplifies his dedication to making a positive impact on the lives of those around him,” wrote Tina Shaw, principal of the Pleasant Grove campus of Texas Can Academy.
A former student, Adrian Coleman, said Burks mentored troubled youth.
“As a young man going through hard times, he made sure to instill knowledge in me and give me the tools I needed to graduate and become a man in this world,” Coleman told the local outlet. “I’m very grateful to him and I’m grateful for the time he spent with me.”
Burks, a young rookie cop, first entered the Dallas Police Academy last year.
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