What to Know
- Officer Darron Burks will be laid to rest Saturday, Sept. 7
- Visitation will be held Friday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
- Funeral Services will begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday
- Watermark Church
7540 Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway
Dallas, TX
Grief and disbelief continue for the Oak Cliff community and the Dallas Police Department following the death of 46-year-old Officer Darron Burks who was gunned down outside the For Oak Cliff Community Center Thursday night.
Candles, balloons and mementos have been left at memorials outside Dallas police substations as residents remember an officer gone too soon.
"It kind of hurts a lot that we losing people that really try to pay into the community and give back. So it's definitely a horrible loss," said Dallas resident Quintius Smith.
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Burks had been a Dallas police officer for less than a year, but his impact can be felt.
The former teacher, dedicated to helping struggling youth now teaching a community a new lesson on loss.
"He was a mentor to our kids and then he's out trying to help the community and boom," said Oak Cliff resident Jillian Mitchell.
For officers struggling to come to terms with his death, some solace in the solidarity with the community.
"The stories that just keep pouring in of the lives that he touched, the lives that he changed not only as a teacher but as a person," said Dallas Police Association president Jaime Castro. "It's touching. It brings comfort to a degree to know that, 'Hey, this guy's legacy is going to live on,'" said Castro.
Another memorial gathering happened Sunday at the police car memorial outside South Central Station at 1999 E. Camp Wisdom Road.
"He was that person that everybody looked to, and everybody clinged to and everybody loved, he was that type of man," said Charlotte McKinnon as she placed flowers on the patrol car.
She knew Officer Burks when he was a student at Paul Quinn College.
"He was one of my camp counselors, he became like a son to me," said McKinnon. "He really helped me when my son passed, my son committed suicide in '16, he would call me, check on me, and make sure I was okay. He was just a really good Godly man.”
She said she wasn't surprised when he became a math teacher because he always wanted to help children and the greater community. Nine months ago when he told McKinnon he was leaving his career of almost two decades to become an officer, she wasn't totally surprised because he always talked about saving the community.
“He walked the walk just like he talked the talk, he loved Omega Psi Phi and he just loved the community. So he was a very loving gentle kind man," explained McKinnon.
Brothers from his fraternity paid homage to him on Sunday and placed a pair of golden boots with purple laces, a trademark of the fraternity which is one of the Black fraternities and sororities that make up the " Divine Nine."
At the memorial on Sunday other law enforcement, city along with state leaders and clergy spoke
"If he didn't put a smile on your face, something was wrong, he was never going to let anybody have a bad day," said Deanna Hammond, Dallas County Constable for Precinct 2.
She said she knew Burks for 16 years from when he was a teacher.
Texas Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas, Dist. 23) also spoke to the crowd about supporting law enforcement. Stating that while it's important to hold those in law enforcement accountable, it's important to back them up as well.
"We need to make certain family, that his life was not lived in vain,' said West. "He will never ever be forgotten, I'll make certain of that as senator," said West.
"We have to stick together, we are a family. If we are not a family, we are divided," said Dallas City Council Member Tennell Atkins.
FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR OFFICER DARRON BURKS
According to Restland Funeral Home, visitation for Officer Darron Burks is planned for Friday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. followed by the funeral service at 11 a.m. Saturday at Watermark Church located at 7540 Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway in Dallas.
