The mother of a fallen Dallas police officer is suing the alleged suspect’s parents and the pawnshop where she alleges the suspect bought the gun used in the “targeted,” fatal shooting.
Dallas Police Officer Darron Burks
Dallas police said Corey Cobb-Bey, 30, shot and killed 46-year-old Officer Darron Burks in Oak Cliff in late September of 2024 in a targeted attack as he sat in his marked police car. Burks had only recently joined the force after teaching math for about 17 years.
“Officer Burks was executed,” then-Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said in 2024 at a news conference. “… Our officers were targeted for nothing more than the uniform they wear and for the brave and honorable job that they do.” Â
Garcia said the suspect approached Burks while he was waiting in a parking lot between calls. After a brief conversation, Cobb-Bey pulled out a gun and “executed” Burks. Police dispatch noticed a sound from Burks’ radio and immediately sent help, Garcia said.
The suspect in the shooting of three Dallas police officers has been identified as Corey Cobb-Bey, 30, of Dallas. One of the officers died.
Dallas County Jail
Cobb-Bey shot at responding officers, who later shot and killed him, Garcia said. Two shotguns, a .22-caliber handgun, and a 9-millimeter handgun were recovered from two scenes.Â
Mother of fallen officer alleges suspect’s parents ignored his unstable, violent behaviorÂ
According to the lawsuit filed by Burks’ mother, Cherie Jeffery, Cobb-Bey was living with his parents in the months leading up to the shooting and had become “increasingly dangerous, agitated, and often displayed erratic behavior,” including “killing a dog and burying it in his parents’ backyard.”
The lawsuit alleges that Cobb-Bey was also fighting with people and had been fired from his job.
Cobb-Bey’s parents, the lawsuit claims, were also aware that their son was amassing and storing firearms at their Dallas home. The lawsuit alleges that the Cobbs had a duty to keep the firearms stored at their home secure and to stop those showing erratic and violent behavior from accessing those firearms, including Cobb-Bey.
Lawsuit alleges pawnshop violated state and federal statutes in selling firearm to suspect
The lawsuit claims Cobb-Bey purchased the handgun used in the shooting in early July 2024, less than two months before Burks was killed, from 24 Hour Pawn, now operating as LG’s Million Dollar Pawn & Gun.
It further argues the sale violated both state and federal laws, meaning the pawnshop should not be protected under the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which typically shields gun dealers from civil liability.Â
Jury trial demanded for upwards of $50,000 in damages
Jeffery’s lawsuit claims that as a result of the death of her son, she has experienced severe mental anguish in the past and, in all reasonable probability, will continue. The lawsuit also claims damages for the physical pain Burks experienced before his death.
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