Dallas Police Department Officer Darren Burks executed in targeted attack Chief says the Dallas Police Department provided an emotional update after officer Darren Burks was shot and killed saying that the former High School teacher was executed while in the line of duty in a press conference Friday Dallas police chief Eddie Garcia said that the department had lost a brother and a hero following the shooting as a department and as a family we are devastated Garcia said last night we lost a brother a hero officer Darren Burks was a son a nephew a friend to many and he was senselessly and tragically murdered in the line of duty the shooting which happened around 10: p.m. Thursday night near the Oak Cliff Community Center killed Burks and wounded two other officers the suspected gunman identified as 30-year-old Cory cab was killed in a shootout with police after a highway chase we came close to losing a officers Garcia said officers who put their lives on the line to protect their brother and it is by the grace of God that they are still with us today the chief of police said that the officers were targeted by cab our officers were targeted by nothing more than the uniforms that they wear and for the Brave and honorable job that they do he said I want to be clear here the word Ambush has been thrown around in the last 24 hours that is not what happened here officer Burks was executed Garcia revealed that cab approached Burks and struck up a conversation while recording the encounter on a cell phone before pulling out a handgun and opening fire police said that they have no evidence that Burks and cobay knew each other cobay approached Burks and talked with him briefly at the driver's side of the window as he recorded the encounter with a cell phone he said the suspect then pulled out a handgun and executed officer B work as he sat in his vehicle police said they got a 911 call about an officer in distress responding officers found Burks in his marked Patrol vehicle critically injured the cob Bay ran toward David shooting at her multiple times while she exited her vehicle David was shot in the face according to police the officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect and two additional officers were shot the suspect was shot and killed at the end of a high-speed police chase on Interstate 35 from Dallas to Lewisville Burks was a former high school math teacher at the Texas Academy's Pleasant Grove campus whose passion for helping his community led him to enroll in the police academy Fox 4 reported citing sources last year officer Burks bravely decided to leave the field of Education to serve our city as a member of the Dallas Police Department his commitment to serving others both as a teacher and as a police officer exemplified his dedic dedication to making a positive impact on the lives of those around him wrote Tina Shaw the principal at Texas Can Academy's Pleasant Grove campus one former student Adrien Coleman said that Burks mentored troubled youths as a troubled youth he made sure to instill knowledge and provide me with the tools I needed to graduate to be a man out here in this world Coleman told the local Outlet I am very thankful for him and the time he spent with me