Roll of Honor
John Francis Burke
Incident
Location: Texas Weapon: Blunt object Offender: Not available
Special Officer John Burke killed when he was attacked and struck on the head with a blunt object while guarding the railroad bridge over the Trinity River south of Dallas, Texas.
His body was located by a citizen who was walking along the tracks near the railroad trestle. Three men who were found near the scene were arrested but later released.
Officer Burke was survived by his wife and three sons.
Survivors
Officer Burke was survived by his wife and three sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-RR-32E9B362- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Special Officer Burke served with the Houston and Texas Central Railway Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Dallas community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Special Officer Burke.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Special Officer John Francis Burke is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TX, 1,463 of 2,421 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.4% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Francis Burke's cause is highlighted.
How John Francis Burke Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John Francis Burke is highlighted in Jan.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. John Francis Burke was killed by blunt object.