Dallas police officer Darron Burks "executed" in targeted attack, chief says

THE OFFICER KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY OVERNIGHT. LET'S LISTEN IN. >> BEFORE WE START, WHAT I WANT TO SAY IS, OBVIOUSLY, WE ARE LESS THAN 24 HOURS FROM THIS TRAGEDY , AND SO I AM GOING TO TELL YOU WHAT I KNOW , AS I HAVE BEEN BRIEFED. THINGS CAN CHANGE, AND THEY MAY CHANGE AS THIS INVESTIGATION CONTINUES TO UNFOLD. BUT, AS A DEPARTMENT AT AS A FAMILY, WE ARE DEVASTATED. LAST NIGHT, WE LOST A BROTHER, A HERO. OFFICER DARRON BURKS WAS A SON, NEPHEW, A FRIEND TO MANY, AND HE WAS SENSELESSLY AND TRAGICALLY MURDERED IN THE LINE OF DUTY. WE CAME CLOSE TO LOSING OTHER OFFICERS , OFFICERS, WHO PUT THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE TO PROTECT THEIR BROTHER. IT IS BY THE GRACE OF GOD THEY ARE STILL WITH US TODAY. OUR OFFICERS WERE TARGETED FOR NOTHING MORE THAN THE UNIFORM THEY WEAR AND FOR THE BRAVE AND HONORABLE JOB THAT THEY DO. I DO WANT TO MAKE SOMETHING CLEAR. I KNOW THAT THE WORD AMBUSH HAS BEEN THROWN AROUND A LOT THE LAST 24 HOURS OR SO. THAT IS NOT WHAT HAPPENED HERE. OFFICER BURKS WAS EXECUTED. OUR PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION HAS DETERMINED THAT ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 29th, AT 10:02 P.M., THE SUSPECT, IDENTIFIED AS 30-YEAR-OLD CORY COBB BAY, A BLACK MALE, ARRIVED ON THE 900 BLOCK OF EAST LEDBETTER DRIVE AND PARKED HIS WHITE BUICK. AT 10:04, OFFICER BURKS ARRIVED AT THE LOCATION AND PARKED NEAR THE FRONT END OF THE BUILDING. COBB THEY APPROACHED OFFICER BURKS AND TALKED BRIEFLY WITH HIM THROUGH THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW AS HE AND -- RECORDED THE ENCOUNTER WITH A CELL PHONE. THE SUSPECT THEN PULLED OUT A HANDGUN AND EXECUTED OFFICER BURKS AS HE SAT IN HIS VEHICLE. AT THIS POINT, A POLICE DISPATCHER NOTICED AN UNUSUAL TRANSMISSION FROM OFFICER BURKS'S RADIO. THE DISPATCHER ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT OFFICER BURKS, WHO DID NOT RESPOND. THE DISPATCHER LOCATED OFFICER BURKS VIA GPS AND SENT OFFICERS TO CHECK ON HIM. MEANWHILE, THE SUSPECT WENT BACK TO HIS VEHICLE AND TOOK OUT A SHOTGUN, GOES BACK TO OFFICER BURKS' SQUAD CAR, PLACES THE WEAPON ON THE ROOF. AT 10:11 P.M., SENIOR CORPORAL JAMIE FONDA RESPONDED, PULLED INTO THE PARKING LOT, AND THE SUSPECT IMMEDIATELY FIRED AT OFFICER FARMER. OFFICER FARMER RETURNED FIRE AND RAN ACROSS THE PARKING LOT. THE SUSPECT GRABBED THE SHOTGUN FROM THE TOP OF THE SQUAD CAR AND FIRED ONE TIME TOWARDS OFFICER FARMER, WHO CONTINUED RUNNING. OFFICER FARMER WAS HIT ONCE IN THE LEG. AT 10:12 P.M., SENIOR CORPORAL CARISSA DAVID POSITIONED HER SQUAD CAR AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE PARKING LOT. THE SUSPECT RAN TOWARDS OFFICER DAVID AND SHOT HER MULTIPLE TIMES AS SHE EXITED HER VEHICLE. OFFICER DAVID RETURNED FIRE, BUT WAS SHOT IN THE FACE DURING THE EXCHANGE. OFFICER BURKS AND SENIOR CORPORAL FARMER AND DAVID WERE TAKEN TO A LOCAL HOSPITAL, WHERE OFFICER BURKS DIED FROM HIS INJURIES. AFTER SENIOR CORPORAL DAVID WAS SHOT, AND OFFICER ARRIVED ON SCENE AND SAW THE SUSPECT STANDING NEAR HIS VEHICLE. THE OFFICER DIRECTED THE NEXT ARRIVING PATROL ELEMENT TO FOLLOW THE SUSPECT, WHO FLED WESTBOUND ON EAST LEDBETTER AND NORTHBOUND ONTO I-35. PATROL PURSUED THE SUSPECT INTO LEWISVILLE , AND COBB BAY CAME TO A STOP ON THE EXPRESSWAY JUST NORTH OF HIGHWAY 121 AND EXITED HIS VEHICLE WITH A SHOTGUN IN HIS LEFT HAND. THE SUSPECT APPROACHED THE OFFICERS AND POINTED THE SHOTGUN AT THEM. OFFICERS NATHANIEL BAKER, DAVID LEM, COREY REED, RICHARD PACE, VLADIMIR PEREZ, AND JOELLE PORTILLO ALL FIRED THEIR ISSUED FIREARMS, STRIKING THE SUSPECT MULTIPLE TIMES. COBB BAY DIED AT THE SCENE, AND NO OFFICERS WERE INJURED IN THE EXCHANGE OF GUNFIRE. SENIOR CORPORAL FARMER WAS TREATED AND RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITAL TODAY. SENIOR CORPORAL DAVID REMAINS IN CRITICAL, BUT STABLE CONDITION. AT THE LEWISVILLE SCENE, TWO SHOT GUNS WERE RECOVERED. AT THE LEDBETTER SCENE, 22 CALIBER HANDGUN WAS RECOVERED, ALONG WITH A NINE MILLIMETER HANDGUN USED BY THE SUSPECT. THE DALLAS POLICE SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT RESPONDED AND IS INVESTIGATING THE INCIDENT. THE DALLAS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY RESPONDED AND IS CONDUCTING AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION. THE OFFICE OF COMMUNITY POLICE OVERSIGHT WAS NOTIFIED. AS I SAID EARLIER, OUR OFFICERS WERE TARGETED BY THIS COWARD . OUR DETECTIVES HAVE LEARNED FROM SOCIAL MEDIA THAT THREE DAYS AGO, COBB-BEY APPROACHED A SQUAD CAR OF AN UNKNOWN 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 THAT THE UNIFORM WE WEAR, THAT MY MEN AND WOMEN PROUDLY WEAR. AND, FOR THE BRAVE AND HONORABLE JOB ARE WOMEN AND MEN DO EACH DAY, AND IT WAS BRAVE AND HONORABLE WORK DONE LAST NIGHT. FROM OUR DISPATCHER, WHO KNEW SOMETHING WASN'T RIGHT WHILE LISTENING TO A RADIO TRANSMISSION, HE FOLLOWED HIS TRAINING AND PROTOCOL, SENDING HELP TO OUR OFFICER WHEN HE NEEDED IT MOST. TO OUR TWO INJURED OFFICERS, WHO ENGAGED, SHOWING TRUE BRAVERY , WHILE LOOKING EVIL RIGHT IN THE FACE, RESPONDING TO HELP THEIR FELLOW OFFICER. TO THE OFFICERS INVOLVED ON OUR SECOND SCENE, KNOWING THE RISKS, PURSUING A DANGEROUS, VIOLENT CRIMINAL, WHO JUST TOOK THE LIFE OF THEIR BROTHER OFFICER, AND TWO INJURED OTHERS. AND, TO OUR FALLEN OFFICER, OFFICER DARRON BURKS. WE WILL NEVER FORGET HIS SACRIFICE. OUR DEPARTMENT IS HURTING. WE ARE GRIEVING THE LOSS OF OUR BROTHER, AND WHILE WE STAND BEHIND TO SUPPORT HIS LOVED ONES AND ARE INJURED BROTHER AND SISTER OFFICERS IN THEIR OWN FIGHT AFTER THIS SENSELESS, EVIL ACT, BUT DESPITE OUR HURTS, DESPITE OUR GRIEF, AS A DEPARTMENT, AS A CITY AND AS A FAMILY, WE WILL KEEP FIGHTING. WE WILL NOT BE DETERRED FROM OUR MISSION. FIGHTING FOR OUR FALLEN, FOR WHAT IS RIGHT AND FOR THE CITY , WE HONOR OUR FALLEN AND INJURED HEROES BY CONTINUING OUR MISSION EVERY DAY. YES, WE HAVE TOUGH DAYS AHEAD, BUT WE WILL GET THROUGH IT, AS WE ALWAYS DO, TOGETHER AND AS A LAW ENFORCEMENT FAMILY. EARLIER TODAY, I VISITED WITH SENIOR CORPORAL FARMER, WHO MIRACULOUSLY WAS RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITAL TODAY. HE WAS IN GREAT SPIRITS. I ALSO VISITED WITH SENIOR CORPORAL DAVID, WHO IS FIGHTING AND HAS A LONG ROAD TO RECOVERY. I ALSO VISITED BURKS'S MOTHER, WHO IS A BEAUTIFUL, STRONG WOMAN OF FAITH. WE HUGGED EACH OTHER, WE CRIED TOGETHER, BUT I ASSURED HER THAT WE WILL BE WITH HER EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. AND, THAT HER SON WILL BE REMEMBERED AS A HERO. I ALSO VISITED THIRD WATCH, SOUTH CENTRAL, WHICH OFFICER BURKS WAS A MEMBER OF, AND ASSURED THEM THAT ANYTHING THEY NEED, IN REGARD TO THEIR MENTAL WELLNESS, THE DEPARTMENT IS HERE FOR THEM. THEY ARE HURTING, AS WE ALL ARE,