It’s been three weeks since a Dallas police officer was killed and two others injured in an ambush shooting in South Oak Cliff.
On Thursday, Dallas Police Department officers and volunteers held a barbecue fundraiser to raise money for the families of the fallen officer and two others who were injured.
“We’re going to raise money for these families, but we’re also giving our officers an opportunity to come together, sit around a table, hold a barbecue bell together, build camaraderie and just hang out together because the brotherhood of law enforcement and the brotherhood as firefighters and paramedics is a bond that a lot of people don’t understand,” said Chris Huggins with Operation Barbecue Relief.
They sold 2,000 pulled pork sandwiches to raise money, with proceeds from each $10 plate going to the Assist The Officer Foundation (ATO), which supports emergency responders and their families.
Officer Daron Burks was shot and killed while riding in his patrol vehicle at the Four Oak Cliffs Community Center in South Oak Cliff on Aug. 29. Senior Corporal Jamie Farmer and Senior Corporal Carisa David responded to a shooting in the 900 block of East Ledbetter Street and were struck by gunfire from a suspect who then fled the scene before being shot and killed by police.
Farmer was shot in the leg and has been released from hospital. David was shot in the face and abdomen. David, who is now blind, had been married six weeks before the shooting, according to an ATO news release.
“I can assure you their morale is high. In the darkest moments, what you need is a lot of love,” said Sergeant Ed Lujan with the ATO and Dallas Police Department. “I always tell people to lead with love. They see their buddies here and the support they’re receiving and they feel the love. That’s going to help them get through this. I know they’re still not over Burks’ death, but he’s smiling over there because he knows the community supports the other two officers and that we’re still praying for them and for him.”
The ATO said it was collecting donations for all officers, including Mr Burks’ family, whose mother attended the fundraiser and was greeted with hugs and expressions of support on Thursday.