CNN
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A northeast Texas town is mourning this Thanksgiving week after the first police officer killed in the line of duty in more than 100 years.
Officer Cooper Dawson, 27, was chasing a suspect after a traffic stop Monday night when the suspect ambushed him and shot him multiple times, Greenville police said.
“Despite his severe injuries, Officer Dawson displayed extraordinary courage and fired his weapon, striking the suspect,” the department said in a statement.
Both Dawson and the suspect, Christian Robert Sparger, 25, were taken to a local hospital. Dawson was then airlifted to a hospital in Plano, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Officer Cooper Dawson was shot and killed during a foot pursuit after a traffic stop.
Police Chief Chris Smith said Dawson, who was married with three children, died less than a month before his 28th birthday. He joined the Greenville Police Department in April 2023 after seven years with the Garland Police Department. Dawson also served in the Army National Guard.
“Officer Dawson dedicated his life to serving others. He made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting his community,” Smith said during an emotional news conference Tuesday. The chief wore a black and blue mourning band over his badge.
The people of Greenville, located about 80 miles northeast of Dallas in Hunt County, remembered Dawson as a friendly officer who loved his family and community. His manager told CNN affiliate WFAA that he frequently stopped by a local Italian restaurant during his dinner break.
“Usually every night he was here he would FaceTime his wife and kids,” Kristen O’Brien said. “While he was working, I could hear his family talking before bed.”
Smith said Dawson not only fought back after being injured, but was also able to apply a tourniquet on himself while waiting for an ambulance. “That’s the epitome of a heroic police officer,” Smith said.
According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, 127 U.S. police officers died in the line of duty this year. In Texas, 15 police officers will die in 2024, the most of any state.
Dawson was the first Greenville police officer killed in the line of duty in more than 100 years, Smith said.
The police chief said, “It’s going to be manageable, but it’s going to be painful.”
Police said in a statement that Dawson’s family has requested privacy. His funeral is scheduled for Tuesday.
The details of the traffic stop that led to Dawson’s death have not been made public, but Greenville Police Lt. Brandon West said police believe Sparger had a warrant out of Denton County for a violation of probation. said he could have been jailed without bail.
Denton County court records show Sparger pleaded guilty last year to a felony charge of aggravated assault and was sentenced to probation. CNN has reached out to Denton’s attorney of record for comment.
In Dawson’s death, Sparger was ordered held on $5 million bail on a capital murder charge in Hunt County, according to jail records. It could not immediately be determined whether he has legal representation in Hunt County.
His last known medical condition after the shooting was serious, police said.
