Dallas, TX
Memorial park to honor fallen Dallas police officer Darron Burks ‘in the city he loved’
Taylor Toynes had just tucked his son into bed on Aug. 29, 2024, when he was rushed back to For Oak Cliff to find tragedy had struck on its doorstep.
While sitting in his patrol car, parked in the center’s lot, Dallas police officer Darron Burks, 46, was fatally shot in a brazen attack that wounded two other officers and scarred southeast Oak Cliff.
For weeks, Toynes watched as the haven he founded to be a beacon of hope for the community became a makeshift memorial instead. Hundreds of people came and went — to light candles and tie balloons, to reminisce and reflect, to question God and to pray.
Almost immediately, Toynes recalled, his perspective shifted.
Let me shine a light, he thought. Let me teach you something.
Tyrone Gonzales, who were fraternity brothers of Dallas police Officer Darron Burks, hug during a vigil at For Oak Cliff on Aug. 30, 2024.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)
“We know it’s the tragedy of death we’re dealing with,” Toynes said in an interview with The Dallas Morning News earlier this month. “But we also recognize that this is someone who needs to be honored for their spirit and their courage.”
And so came the vision for the nonprofit’s next project: The Darron Burks Memorial Park.
Their highest hopes, aligned
Long before Burks joined the Dallas Police Department, he was a student at Paul Quinn College, where he was a football player and president of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity. He was described as a “pure man” who never smoked, drank or cursed, and checked in on his friends daily.
For 17 years, Burks was a math teacher at Texans CAN Academies, a charter school that helps students recover credits to graduate.
In 2023, he brought the leadership skills he honed in the classroom to the police academy, where he helped corral the younger officers and keep them in line. They nicknamed him “Papa Burks.”
The challenge for For Oak Cliff wasn’t whether they wanted to memorialize Burks, but how they possibly could.
Toynes considered a traditional monument, but worried something so modest might allow Burks’ legacy to become synonymous with the tragedy that cut his life short.
Instead, his staff hopes to honor every part of Burks’ journey.
After drafting some ideas of their own, Amber Hartfield, For Oak Cliff’s director of operations, said her team met first with Burks’ mother, Cherie Jeffery, to get both her input and her blessing. They found her dreams for a permanent memorial aligned almost “word for word” with their own.
“She loved every bit of it, and she was really grateful that the community is coming together to do something like this for her son,” Hartfield said.
Ideally, the park, which will sit on For Oak Cliff’s property, will include an outdoor classroom, a playground and fitness equipment featuring educational quotes and words of encouragement, a garden with seating and a memorial plaque, and a mural symbolizing Burks’ faith, leadership and love for his community.
“To pull up and see people out there playing, sitting together, reflecting, whatever it is, I think that’s it,” Toynes said. “That is joy. That is living.”
Jeffery, according to Hartfield, was especially adamant about pursuing the garden, yearning for a space designed to bring families together, an ode to the bond she shared with her son.
“We really want to honor all of her wishes,” Hartfield said. “We want to do our best to make all of it come true.”
Park to be built in phases
Hartfield and Toynes said a partnership with Leadership Dallas has been instrumental in connecting them with organizations, fundraising campaigns and pro bono services that will help them see the park through.
”Officer Burks’ legacy will forever remain etched in the heart of the city he loved, and he will always be remembered as a true hero,” a Dallas police spokeswoman wrote in a statement sent to The News. “We are honored to see Officer Burks’ memory live on.”
They’re still in the early stages of crafting designs, but anticipate it could take anywhere from $275,000 to $500,000 to complete the project.
It’s too soon to grasp the timeline, but Hartfield said the park will be built in phases as the money is raised.
For Burks’ mother, they’ll start with the garden.
To donate or sponsor a portion of the park, the North Texas Giving Day fundraiser can be accessed here.
The city of Dallas named five finalists to become the next police chief for a department of just over 3,100 officers.
The list includes finalists with experience in local and federal law enforcement, but who all started their careers with a police department at a city level.
Dallas City Manager Kim Tolbert said a list of 25 candidates was reduced to the following five finalists:
Interim DPD Chief Michael Igo; DPD Assistant Chief Catrina Shead; Carrollton Chief of Police Roberto Arredondo; Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Daniel Comeaux of Houston; and former FBI Assistant Director Brian Boetig.
The next chief will inherit a department that has seen the violent crime rate fall each year since 2021 but also will be tasked with adding officers after voters last November approved a measure requiring DPD to hire about 900 officers to reach 4,000 officers.
Rene Martinez with LULAC served on the community panel tasked with questioning finalists during the search for a police chief in 2020, a process that yielded the hiring of Eddie Garcia.
“Those shoes are going to be hard to fill but going out into the community, being able to speak to different communities,” Martinez said. “I’m looking at someone that’s going to hopefully have the ability to deal with a diverse community.”
The city said Friday the five finalists will be in Dallas between Monday, March 31, and Wednesday, April 2, meeting with community members before interviewing with City Manager Kim Tolbert.
Tolbert said she plans to make a hiring decision for the city’s next police chief by the second week of April.
Biographies for each of the five DPD chief of police finalists are available ahead of the planned community meet and greets.
The Tennessee Titans parted ways with linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. to begin the offseason, trading him to the Dallas Cowboys.
He was a potential cut candidate, making the trade not too much of a shock. Still, Murray Jr. admitted he was “extremely” surprised by the move.
“I’m not gonna lie, it was extremely surprising for me, just because I wasn’t expecting it,” Murray Jr. said, per Jon Machota of The Athletic. “… At the same time, I was ecstatic because obviously playing for the Dallas Cowboys is a big deal. I’m excited to be able to come here, bring my brand of football and just fly around and make plays.”
The former first-round pick spent the first four years of his career with the Los Angeles Chargers before signing a two-year, $15.5 million contract with the Titans.
He will now join a Cowboys defense that features star linebacker Micah Parsons, cornerbacks DaRon Bland and Trevon Diggs, defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, linebacker DeMarvion Overshown and more.
It’s a bit of a dream come true for Murray Jr. A former Oklahoma Sooners star and Houston area native, he grew up a Cowboys fan in Texas.
“I’ve always loved the Cowboys,” Murray Jr. said. “I grew up a Cowboys fan. My whole family are Cowboys fans. So this is definitely a dream for me playing here.”
Murray Jr. wasn’t the only defender to arrive to Dallas via trade this offseason. The Cowboys also acquired former first-round cornerback Kaiir Elam from the Buffalo Bills.
Murray Jr. will head into his sixth NFL season with 67 starts across 73 career games while posting 416 total tackles (271 solo), 8.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, 12 pass breakups and three interceptions. He started all 14 games he appeared in for the Titans this past season.
Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!
Taylor Toynes says he started thinking of ways to honor the life of Dallas Police Officer Darron Burks in the immediate weeks following his death.
“It’s important that people can come in and sit down with what took place but also see hope,” Toynes said.
The founder of ‘For Oak Cliff’ said fundraising efforts started earlier this year for a memorial park at the nonprofit’s location at 907 E. Ledbetter Drive.
“I think it’s important for it to be here because of the events that happened here,” Toynes said.
Burks was parked at ‘For Oak Cliff,’ completing work in his patrol car and waiting for his next assignment when the rookie officer was ambushed by a suspect in August 2024.
Two other Dallas PD officers were shot by the suspect responding to the scene. Both survived but Sr. Cpl. Karissa David was left blind in both eyes.
Burks worked as a teacher for 17 years before changing careers and entering law enforcement in his early 40’s.
Toynes says the memorial park will honor his life as an educator, athlete and public servant with spaces for play, reflection and artwork.
“It’s not just something that people walk up to and see but it’s also something that people can interact with and have fun and learn and build community at the same time,” Toynes said.
Toynes said ‘For Oak Cliff’ did not move forward with the project until it had support from both Burks’ mother and the Dallas Police Department.
Dallas PD said Thursday in a statement Burks’ unwavering commitment to serving and protecting the city made a lasting impact.
“Officer Burks’ legacy will forever remain etched in the heart of the city he loved, and he will always be remembered as a true hero,” a spokesperson said.
“We are honored to see Officer Burks’ memory live on through the legacy he left behind.”
Toynes said he estimates the project will be completed in three phases and will cost upwards of $300,000 to complete.
“I have faith in the city of Dallas and the philanthropic community here,” Toynes said.
The fundraising effort is ongoing through the Community Foundations of Texas and the North Texas Giving Day campaign.
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