Funeral held Saturday for fallen Dallas officer Burks

The memorial service for fallen Dallas Police Officer Darren Burks was held Saturday, with hundreds of friends, family, and fellow police officers attending.

The service was held at the Watermark Church on LBJ Freeway.

Governor Abbott ordered flags across Texas to be lowered to half-staff at the request of Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson.

“This has been, to say the least, a challenging week. A challenging week for you, for me, for this entire city. But most of all for Officer Burks’ family,” Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said. “I’ve said it several times over the past few days that in losing Officer Burks, the city of Dallas lost a hero.”

Before putting on the badge, Darren Burks was working with at-risk youth, serving as a highly respected and much-loved math teacher at Texans Can Academy in Pleasant Grove.

Officer Burks graduated from the police academy in December. He was murdered in his squad car while on patrol in Oak Cliff just a little over a week ago.

Officer Burks was laid to rest during a private ceremony Saturday afternoon at the Garden of Honor at Restland Cemetery.