Dallas police officer ‘executed,’ 2 others injured in targeted shootings: Chief

The Dallas chief of police called the Thursday night shooting of a police officer while he sat in his squad car an “execution” in a press conference Friday evening.

Two other officers were also shot after responding to the incident, which culminated in the suspected gunman being shot and killed by police, authorities said.

“Our officers were targeted for nothing more than the uniform they wear and for the brave and honorable job that they do,” Dallas Chief of Police Edgardo Garcia told reporters during Friday’s press briefing.

Dallas Officer Darron Burks was sitting in his squad car around 10:04 p.m. CT Thursday in the parking lot of a community center between call assignments when the suspect approached, Garcia said. The suspect — identified Friday as Corey Cobb-Bey, 30 — briefly spoke to Burks through the driver-side window while recording the encounter with a cellphone, Garcia said.

“The suspect then pulled out a handgun and executed Officer Burks as he sat in his vehicle,” Garcia said, becoming emotional as he spoke.

A police dispatcher then noticed an “unusual transmission” from Burks’ radio and sent officers to check on him, Garcia said.

Meanwhile, Cobb-Bey retrieved a shotgun from his vehicle, which he had parked in the lot two minutes prior to Burks’ arrival, and placed the weapon on the roof of the squad car, according to Garcia.

When a second officer, Senior Corporal Jamie Farmer, responded to the scene and pulled into the parking lot at around 10:11 p.m. CT, Cobb-Bey “immediately” fired a handgun, Garcia said. Officer Farmer returned fire and ran across the parking lot, at which point Cobb-Bey grabbed the shotgun from the top of the squad car and fired at Farmer, striking him, Garcia said.

A third officer, Senior Corporal Karissa David, arrived around 10:12 p.m. CT and positioned her squad car at the entrance of the parking lot, Garcia said. Cobb-Bey ran toward her and “shot at her multiple times as she exited her vehicle,” Garcia said.

David returned fire but was shot in the face by Cobb-Bey during the exchange, Garcia said.

A police sergeant who next arrived on the scene saw Cobb-Bey standing near his vehicle and directed the next arriving patrol to follow him after he fled the scene, Garcia said. Dallas police officers pursued Cobb-Bey onto Interstate 35E into Lewisville, police said. Cobb-Bey eventually stopped, then approached the officers while pointing the shotgun at them upon exiting the vehicle, Garcia said.

Six officers fired their firearms at Cobb-Bey, striking him multiple times, Garcia said. He died at the scene. A .22 caliber handgun and a 9mm handgun were recovered, police said.

The three wounded officers were transported to local hospitals, police said. Burks died from his injuries at the hospital, Garcia said.

“Officer Darron Burks was a son, a nephew, a friend of many, and he was senselessly and tragically murdered in the line of duty,” Garcia said.

David remains hospitalized in critical but stable condition, Garcia said, adding that she has a “long road to recovery.” Farmer, who was shot in the leg, has since been released, Garcia said.

Cobb-Bey purchased the weapons legally, Garcia said, adding that there is no indication at this time that he and Burks knew each other.

The investigation has uncovered that three days prior to the shooting, Cobb-Bey recorded himself with his phone as he approached an unmarked squad car of an unknown law enforcement agency and “questioned the officers about why they were parked there,” Garcia said.

Cobb-Bey had “expressed problems with his personal and professional life online,” and on Thursday “made a post indicating an event was happening on Friday,” the chief said.

Garcia called the incident a “senseless, evil act.”

“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,” Garcia said. “It was brave and honorable work done last night from our dispatcher who knew something wasn’t right while listening to a radio transmission.”

Garcia said there is evidence that Cobb-Bey was a member of the Moorish Sovereign Citizens. The movement is “a collection of independent organizations and individuals that emerged in the early 1990s as an offshoot of the antigovernment sovereign citizens movement,” whose members “have engaged in violent confrontations with law enforcement,” according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

“We’re less than 24 hours into this, and so that will come out,” Garcia said when asked about the suspect’s possible affiliation with the group.

Garcia added that they are “scouring” the suspect’s social media amid the investigation.

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson called the incident “devastating” and remembered Burks as a “hero.”

“[This] attack on three of our protectors is nothing short of an attack on our city, our families, and our way of life,” Johnson said in a statement. “We must continue their work to stop violence in our communities. We must never forget their sacrifice. And we must take the time to come together and lift each other up as we mourn our fallen.”