Dallas police officer Darron Burks was shot to death Thursday night in what Dallas police chief Eddie Garcia described as an execution. At a press briefing, he provided details of the attack that left two other officers wounded and the gunman dead.
Burks, 46, was killed in a marked patrol car outside the campus of For Oak Cliff, Garcia said. Senior Corp. Jamie Farmer was shot once in the leg and Senior Corp. Karissa David was shot in the face as the two responded to a distress call.
Garcia identified the gunman, who was killed by officers after a car chase up Interstate 35 into Lewisville, as Corey Cobb Bey, 30.
At the news conference Friday afternoon, Garcia gave a timeline of the shooting.
At 10:02 p.m., Cobb Bey parked a white Buick in the parking lot of For Oak Cliff. Two minutes later Burks arrived to park between calls, Garcia said.
“Cobb Bey approached Officer Burks and talked with him briefly through the driver's side window as he recorded the encounter with a cell phone. The suspect then pulled out a handgun and executed Officer Burks as he sat in his vehicle," the chief said.
"At this point, a police dispatcher noticed an unusual transmission from Officer Burks' radio. The dispatcher attempted to contact Officer Burks via his GPS location and sent officers to check on him," Garcia said. "Meanwhile, the suspect went back to his vehicle and took out a shotgun, goes back to Officer Burks' squad car and placed the weapon on the roof.”
When Farmer arrived, Bey fired at him with the shotgun. Farmer ran and was shot once in the leg. David arrived and parked in the entrance to the parking lot. Cobb Bey ran toward her and shot her in the face as she returned fire. Another officer arrived and the chase began. Cobb Bey sped north on Stemmons Freeway into Lewisville, stopping on the freeway near the exit for Business 121. As he exited his vehicle with a long gun, six DPD officers fired on Bey, killing him.
Officers recovered four guns from the scene, all purchased legally by Bey, Garcia said.
“Our officers were targeted for nothing more than the uniform they wear and for the brave and honorable job that they do," Garcia said. "I do want to make something clear. I know that the word ambush has been thrown around in the last 24 hours or so. That's not what happened here. Officer Burks was executed.
“Our officers were targeted by this coward. Our detectives have learned from social media that three days ago, Cobb Bey approached an unmarked SWAT car of an unknown law enforcement agency and recorded as he questioned the officers about why they were parked there. He expressed problems with his personal and professional life online. And one day ago, he made a post indicating an event was happening on Friday. The investigation determined last night was premeditated, again for no other reason than the uniform we wear, that my men and women proudly wear, and for the brave and honorable job our men and women do each day. And it was brave and honorable work done last night.”
Chief Garcia noticeably choked up several times throughout the briefing and called Burks’ death “one of the more brutal cop killings I have seen in my career.
“I gave him his badge. … I tell my recruits, I tell people all the time if you do this job long enough you’ll laugh together, bleed together and cry together. There’s a briefing room full of officers who worked with him who are hurting. … I don’t know what else to say. It hurts.”
Farmer was released from the hospital Friday. David remains in critical condition and has a “long road to recovery,” said Garcia, who visited her. She was responsive and able to write, but unable to talk. Details on her injury are not available at this time, but Garcia said he felt good about her responsiveness.
Garcia noted that the investigation was less than 24 hours old, and “things can change, they may change as this investigation continues to unfold.” One piece of info that “will come out” is Cobb Bey's association with the radical Moorish Sovereign Citizen group. Dash and body footage will be released Monday, but not video of the initial altercation where three officers were shot.
"When I go to community meetings, I tell you, there's not a community or a neighbor in the city of Dallas impacted by violent crime that — regardless of language, vocation or racial makeup or economic status — has ever asked for less police officers in their neighborhood," Garcia said. "This city, this community supports its police department. They support the Dallas Police Department. We support them. And they're going to stand to stay along with us. And we'll keep continuing what we have to do with our community."
According to Ring doorbell security camera footage obtained from a residence by NBC 5, at 10:12 p.m. about a dozen shots can be heard in the 900 block of Ledbetter Drive in the parking lot of the For Oak Cliff community center.
According the the Morning News report, Burks graduated from the police academy in December. Before joining the DPD, he reportedly taught math at Texas Can Academies and had graduated from Paul Quinn College in Dallas.
A vigil was scheduled for 7:04 p.m. in the parking lot of For Oak Cliff. The community group, which provides educational and social service support for the neighborhood, issued a statement about the shooting Friday afternoon:
"Last night, For Oak Cliff received the devastating news that Dallas police officer Darron Burks tragically lost his life, following a shooting that occurred late after hours in the parking lot of our community campus. Two other officers were also injured, with one currently in critical condition. Our hearts go out to the families, loved ones, and colleagues of these brave officers during this incredibly difficult time.
"While this tragic incident occurred at our campus, we want to emphasize that it was a random and isolated event. We are fully cooperating with local authorities as they continue their investigation. For Oak Cliff remains steadfast in our commitment to serving our community and will not be deterred from our mission. We will continue our work with compassion, impact and resilience, even in the face of such heartbreak."
Numerous police officers gathered outside of the Methodist Dallas emergency room a little after 1 a.m. where footage gathered by local media shows officers embracing each other.
The procession to carry the fallen officer from Methodist Dallas to the medical examiner’s office has begun.
— Chris Sadeghi (@chrissadeghi) August 30, 2024
Officers on motorcycle are leading the way while dozens of Dallas PD control cars follow behind.@wfaa pic.twitter.com/RpDpHyPnAg
Video posted to X by WFAA’s Chris Sadeghi at 4:17 a.m. shows officers on motorcycles leading a procession including the vehicle that carried the body of the deceased officer from the hospital to the medical examiner’s office.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson released a statement Friday morning. Included in his remarks is a note announcing that he is "currently isolating with COVID and will be unable to conduct interviews."
"Dallas has lost a hero," Johnson's statement read in part. "We all grieve with the officer's family today, and we pray for a full and swift recovery for the two officers who were wounded."
Council Member Carolyn King Arnold, who represents the district the officer was killed in, told Jamie Landers of The Dallas Morning News, “No words can describe an officer being murdered like this. It just leaves you speechless.”
— Mayor Eric L. Johnson (@Johnson4Dallas) August 30, 2024U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett posted a photo of herself smiling with Burks.
