Dallas, TX

A timeline of Oak Cliff shooting that left Dallas police officer dead

Published

3 hours ago

August 30, 2024

A timeline of Oak Cliff shooting that left Dallas police officer dead

A Dallas police officer was killed in a shooting in southeast Oak Cliff on Thursday night.

On Friday morning, his mother confirmed to The Dallas Morning News that her son Darron Burks, 46, was the officer fatally shot outside the “For Oak Cliff” community center.

Two other officers were wounded in the shooting and are hospitalized. One was in critical condition and the other was listed as stable on Friday morning, Dallas police spokesperson Kristin Lowman said.

Here’s how the events unfolded late Thursday and early Friday:

Thursday, Aug. 29

10:10 p.m.: Dozens of units respond to an assist officer call in the 900 block of East Ledbetter Drive, near South Marsalis Avenue, according to an online police call log. (The News counted more than 95 units ultimately responded to the shooting.)

Photos: Dallas police investigate Oak Cliff shooting scene

Responding officers find an officer shot in his marked patrol vehicle, Lowman confirms at a news conference early Friday. They exchange gunfire with a shooter, and two other officers are shot.

10:35: p.m.: Police pursuit of a suspect enters Lewisville, according to Lewisville Police Department spokesperson Rachel Roberts.

10:38 p.m.: The chase ends in the northbound lane of Interstate 35E just north of State Highway 121 Business.

The suspect exited a vehicle with a long gun, Lowman said, and Dallas officers shot and killed him.

Friday, Aug. 30

12:20 a.m.: In a post on Facebook, the Lewisville Police Department confirms that none of its officers were involved in the chase.

12:28 a.m.: In a post on X, DPD announces it is investigating an officer-involved shooting.

1:15 a.m.: Dozens of Dallas police officers stand quietly outside the emergency room entrance to Methodist Dallas Medical Center. Squad cars line the block leading up to the hospital, their emergency lights flashing.

Photos: Police officers gather outside Methodist Hospital emergency room

3:15 a.m.: DPD holds a news conference outside Methodist hospital and confirm the shooting, the chase and the officer’s death.

“Our department is hurting,” Lowman said. “We ask tonight and this morning for the thoughts and prayers of our city, for not only those who are recovering in the hospital, but for our fallen, for their family and for their loved ones, and for us as a department as well.”

4:00 a.m.: A procession begins to lead the fallen officer from Methodist hospital to the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s office.

Family members of the deceased Dallas police officer wait outside of the Dallas County... — Family members of the deceased Dallas police officer wait outside of the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s office early Friday for the arrival of fallen Dallas police Officer Darron Burks.(Shafkat Anowar / Staff Photographer)

5:07 a.m.: Dallas police Chief Eddie García posts a tribute on X with the caption “No words.” He attaches a photo of a Dallas police badge above the city of Dallas with a dark blue line across the center.

7:30 a.m.: The Lewisville Police Department says the “roadway is clear” and “traffic is flowing freely” in an update to its 12:20 a.m. Facebook post.

9:13 a.m.: U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who represents the area where the shooting happened, writes on X that she is “heartbroken for the family and friends of the officer lost last night.”

“This epidemic of gun violence must end,” she also wrote.

9:23 a.m.: Gov. Greg Abbott posts to X to honor the fallen officer.

“Our hearts are with the @DallasPD & the entire Dallas community,” he wrote.

10:10 a.m.: In a statement posted to X, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson calls for city flags to be flown at half-staff.

“Dallas has lost a hero,” he wrote.

11:12 a.m.: Burks’ mother confirms to The News that her son was the officer killed in Thursday’s shooting.

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Dallas, TX

Former Mavericks Prospect Opens Up on Struggles in Dallas

Published

10 hours ago

August 30, 2024

Press Room

Former Mavericks Prospect Opens Up on Struggles in Dallas

When Willie Cauley-Stein entered the NBA, some scouts saw him as a Tyson Chandler-like player who could patrol the paint as a shot-blocker and be an effective lob finisher on offense. That potential paired with an NBA-ready frame led him to be selected 6th overall by the Sacramento Kings in the 2015 NBA Draft.

His last two seasons with the Kings were promising, averaging 12.3 PPG and 7.7 RPG while starting 139 games. Those seasons never led to the contract extension he thought would come and that started a downward spiral for the big man from Kentucky.

Cauley-Stein recently interviewed with Kyle Tucker of The Athletic (paywall) following his play in the Throwback Tournament, a reunion of sorts of former college stars. In this interview, he opens up on the struggles he faced while in the NBA in his personal life because he “could easily be dead.”

READ MORE: One Thing This Young Player Must Improve for the Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks traded for Cauley-Stein in January 2020, acquiring him from the Golden State Warriors for a second-round pick. At just 26 years old, the Mavs hoped they could unlock some of the talent hidden inside. He’d then sign a 2-year, $8.4 million contract with an option on the second year before the 2020-21 season but would be waived before the contract could expire after taking a “leave of absence.”

While on that leave of absence, Cauley-Stein was checked into an inpatient rehab center for substance abuse for 65 days. He had been buying fake pills, according to Cauley-Stein and Tucker. What he thought was Percocet was actually pills laced with fentanyl and he was “taking hundreds of them, for months and years.”

While he was with the Warriors following his Kings stint, three of his friends were shot and killed in his house in Sacramento, which started his downward mental health spiral and he turned to pills to cope. Soon after that, the grandmother who raised him was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer and he “could not bear to watch her wither away,” causing him to fall further into the pills.

He checked into rehab 6 days after her death and told Tucker “The team could tell I had no energy, no love, no personality, no nothing. The drugs took everything from me. I think I’m playing hard, balling, doing my thing, and then I hear, ‘He doesn’t look like he loves basketball.’”

Thanks to a newfound love of golf and wanting to do right by his three kids, Cauley-Stein is now clean and looking to return to the NBA. He performed well for La Familia in the Throwback Tournament, even winning Defensive Player of the Year. He most recently played for the Houston Rockets’ G-League affiliate in 2022-23 and in 20 games for an Italian Club last season, breaking the Europe Cup record for rebounds in a game.

For more on his journey to recovery and finding happiness again, it’s highly recommended to check out Kyle Tucker’s full-length piece on The Athletic.

READ MORE: Shrewd Move By Mavericks Led To Heavy Criticism For Rival Team

Stick with MavericksGameday for more FREE coverage of the Dallas Mavericks throughout the NBA Offseason

Follow MavericksGameday on Twitter and Austin Veazey on Twitter

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Dallas, TX

Labor Day weekend traffic jams are about to start. Here’s which roads to avoid and when

Published

19 hours ago

August 29, 2024

Press Room

Labor Day weekend traffic jams are about to start. Here’s which roads to avoid and when

Transportation and mobility reporter

2:53 PM on Aug 29, 2024 CDT

Dallas-Fort Worth will experience heavy traffic on area roads heading into this Labor Day weekend.

U.S. travel is expected to be up 9% over last year, according to AAA. The Texas Department of Transportation expects Fort Worth and Dallas areas to see heavy congestion Thursday evening and throughout Friday. Traffic on Interstate 35 will peak from 4–8 p.m. Thursday evening.

Drivers on I-35 in Dallas, Denton and Waco should expect delays between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Friday and again from 3–7 p.m., with moderate traffic in Dallas and Fort Worth Saturday evening.

Interstate 45 in the Dallas area will see congestion from 4–7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, with moderate traffic Saturday evening. Traffic on Interstate 45 will peak in Arlington, Fort Worth and Dallas Thursday evening and again from 2–7 p.m. Friday, with light traffic Saturday through Monday, according to TxDOT.

Some local events like Texas Rangers games could draw crowds to Arlington Saturday and Sunday, and Six Flags will be open Saturday through Monday, but there are no events scheduled at AT&T Stadium.

“We don’t anticipate anything out of the ordinary traffic-wise,” Arlington Police Department spokesperson Tim Ciesco said.

SMU, Texas, Texas A&M and Baylor all host their opening home games of the college football season on Saturday, adding to the number of travelers on Texas highways.

It’s also the first weekend for high-school football, so Friday night game traffic can tend to back up onto highways, TxDOT Dallas spokesperson Tony Hartzel said.

“We’ve got a mixture of holiday travel, event travel and just a little bit of unpredictability because people do travel at different times on holiday weekends,” Hartzel said.

Rain is expected Friday and Sunday, so drivers should exercise caution on slick roads, Hartzel said.

Travelers can expect to pay slightly less in gas than last Labor Day weekend, with national averages down about 30 cents per gallon, according to AAA.

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Dallas, TX

Dalvin Cook will wear this jersey number with the Dallas Cowboys

Published

1 day ago

August 29, 2024

Press Room

Dalvin Cook will wear this jersey number with the Dallas Cowboys

Dalvin Cook is joining the Dallas Cowboys as a member of the practice squad and we now know what number he will wear in Big D.

Cook signed with the Cowboys this week and immediately teased the No. 4 which he wore at Florida State.

Of course, Dak Prescott wears No. 4, so Cook isn’t going to come in and take that number from the team’s franchise quarterback.

MORE: Dallas Cowboys 2024 practice squad roster

4️⃣
— Dalvin “4️⃣” Cook (@dalvincook) August 28, 2024

The four-time Pro Bowler started his career with the Minnesota Vikings wearing No. 33 before switching back to No. 4 when the NFL changed its jersey number rules but returned to No. 33 with the New York Jets and No. 31 with the Baltimore Ravens.

So, what number will he wear in Dallas?

MORE: You’ll be surprised by average age of the Cowboys backfield

We now have our answer and it’s a number that was vacated during the offseason when Tony Pollard signed with the Tennessee Titans in free agency.

That’s right, Dalvin Cook will wear No. 20 for the Cowboys.

New Cowboys RB Dalvin Cook will wear No. 20 in Dallas.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 29, 2024

Now tha we have the answer to that question, it’s time to wonder whether we will ever see that No. 20 on the field during gameday this season.

The Cowboys can elevate Cook to the 53-man roster three times throughout the season before they must make his move to the 53 permanent or release him.

You’d have to imagine he will get the call up at least once in 2024.

— Enjoy free coverage of the Cowboys from Dallas Cowboys on SI —

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