Current:Home > InvestSlain Dallas police officer remembered as ‘hero’ during funeral service -RiskWatch
Slain Dallas police officer remembered as ‘hero’ during funeral service
View
Date:2025-04-15 06:50:14
Dallas police officer Darron Burks, who was fatally shot in what the police chief called an execution, was remembered Saturday as a hero during a funeral service in Dallas.
“A hero who made the ultimate sacrifice ... the grief is overwhelming,” said Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia during the nearly two-hour-long service that was often marked by applause for Burks’ mother, Cherie Jeffery, and laughter at memories of Burks.
“He loved me every day, he didn’t wait until my birthday” or various holidays, Jeffery said as she stood next to a portrait of Burks in his uniform, adding that her son texted her daily. “Darron loved everybody.”
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said Burks was “tragically taken, targeted” because he was a police officer.
Burks was “a hero ... with a spirit of service and selflessness,” Johnson said.
Bagpipes played and mourners streamed past his open coffin that was draped with a U.S. flag and uniformed police officers at either end until the casket was closed for the service.
Burks, 46, was sitting in his patrol car Aug. 29 when he was fatally shot by 30-year-old Corey Cobb-Bey, who spoke briefly with Burks and recorded the encounter before pulling out a handgun and shooting Burks, according to police.
“I know the word ambush has been thrown around ... that’s not what happened here,” Garcia said following the shooting. “Officer Burks was executed.”
Cobb-Bey shot and wounded two other officers as they arrived, then fled the scene and was pursued by police to Lewisville, Texas, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest of Dallas, police said.
When Cobb-Bey’s vehicle came to a stop on Interstate 35, he exited with a shotgun in his hand and pointed it at officers. Six officers opened fire, killing Cobb-Bey who was struck multiple times, police said.
Burks joined the police force in December after graduating from the police academy. He previously spent 17 years as a high school math teacher.
Gov. Greg Abbott, at the request of Johnson, said state of Texas and United States flags could be lowered to half-staff on Saturday to honor Burks.
“The First Lady and I extend prayers of comfort for the Burks family during their time of grief, and we urge all Texans to remember and honor Officer Burks’ service as a dedicated and trusted law enforcement officer,” Abbott said in a letter to Johnson.
veryGood! (76)
Related
- Tarte Shape Tape Concealer Sells Once Every 4 Seconds: Get 50% Off Before It's Gone
- Vatican excommunicates ex-ambassador to U.S., Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, declares him guilty of schism
- Beryl regains hurricane strength as it bears down on southern Texas
- 15 firefighters suffer minor injuries taking on a Virginia warehouse blaze
- Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
- Torrid heat bakes millions of people in large swaths of US, setting records and fanning wildfires
- Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, Suri Cruise and More Celebrity Kids Changing Their Last Names
- Hurricane watch issued for Beryl in Texas
- Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
- Biden assails Project 2025, a plan to transform government, and Trump’s claim to be unaware of it
Ranking
- John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
- John Cena announces his retirement from professional wrestling after 2025 season
- 15 firefighters suffer minor injuries taking on a Virginia warehouse blaze
- Vying for West Virginia Governor, an ‘All of the Above’ Democrat Faces Long Odds Against a Republican Fossil Fuel Booster
- Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
- Norwegian cyclist Andre Drege, 25, dies after crashing in race
- To a defiant Biden, the 2024 race is up to the voters, not to Democrats on Capitol Hill
- Floodwaters erode area around Wisconsin dam, force evacuations
Recommendation
From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
Tour of Austria final stage cancelled after Andre Drege dies following crash
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Slow Burn (Freestyle)
Romanian court says social media influencer Andrew Tate can leave country, but must stay in E.U.
Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
National Urban League honors 4 Black women for their community impact
Two inmates charged with murder recaptured after escape from Mississippi jail
15 firefighters suffer minor injuries taking on a Virginia warehouse blaze