(NewsNation) — A man shot and killed Dallas Police Officer Darron Burks on Friday night in a targeted attack against police, according to the department’s chief, Eddie Garcia.
Burks is being remembered as a man of great character after losing his life in a senseless act of gun violence.
“I do want to make something clear. I know that the word ambush has been thrown around in the last 24 hours or so,” Garcia said at a press conference. “That’s not what happened here. Officer Burks was executed.”
Two other officers were also injured by the now-deceased suspect.
What began as a routine Thursday night for Dallas Police Officer Darren Burks quickly turned deadly when 30-year-old Corey Cobb-Bey approached him as he sat in his squad car.
Cobb-Bey struck up a brief conversation with Burks, which he recorded on a cell phone, then inexplicably pulled out a handgun and opened fire, killing Burks where he sat.
“The dispatcher attempted to contact Officer Burks, who did not respond,” Garcia said. “The dispatcher located Officer Burks via his GPS location and sent officers to check on him.”
Cobb-Bey didn’t stop there. He got a shotgun from his vehicle and put it on the roof of Burks’ squad car before other officers arrived. Cobb-Bey then shot Officer Jamie Farmer, wounding her leg, and shot Officer Karissa David multiple times. Farmer was released from the hospital Friday, while David remains hospitalized in critical condition.
Cobb-Bey fled the scene, and officers chased him for 25 miles, ending in a dramatic confrontation on the interstate. Cobb-Bey left his vehicle, armed with the shotgun, six officers fired and he died at the scene.
Investigations into Cobb-Bey indicate his attack was premeditated, with the suspect posting on social media that he had been planning an “event,” while bemoaning problems in his professional and personal life.
“Our officers were targeted for nothing more than the uniform they wear and for the brave and honorable job that they do,” Garcia said, adding: “Last night, we lost a brother, a hero.”
Burks had recently transitioned to the Dallas police force after a 17-year career as a high school math teacher, where the principal mourned him as “not only an excellent educator but also a mentor to countless students.” He had been on the police force for just eight months.
Burks is the 94th U.S. police officer to be killed in the line of duty this year, with Texas leading the country in the total amount of fallen officers. The growing list is a reminder of the mortal danger that officers face each day they patrol their cities and towns.
Authorities say that all guns used by the suspect were legally purchased. We expect to see more details emerge, including surveillance footage of the shootings, in the coming days.
