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Earl Jamie Givens, a Dallas police motorcycle officer, was struck by a suspected drunk driver during a funeral escort early Saturday morning, according to WFAA. Officer Givens died after he was taken to a hospital, police Chief Renee Hall said at a news conference.
Senior Corporal Earl Jamie Givens, a 32-year veteran of the Police Department, died at Baylor hospital in Dallas about 6:40 a.m., according to Hall.
“We stand here today with our hearts broken,” Hall said outside Baylor hospital following the police escort.
#Breaking Dallas Police Chief Renee Hall announces that 32 year veteran DPD Officer Jamie Givens was killed by suspected drunk driver while blocking roads for a funeral escort this morning.
Officer Givens Was Escorting the Body of Another Officer When He Was Struck By a Drunk Driver
A group of Dallas motorcycle officers were assigned to escort the body of another officer who died of terminal cancer, Senior Corporal Tyrone Andrews, from Laurel Land Funeral Home to Marion, Louisiana, where where he was to be laid to rest Saturday afternoon.
According to the DPD Beat, during the escort, Givens positioned himself to block oncoming traffic to the eastbound entrance ramp to Interstate 20 at Bonnie View Road. “Senior Corporal Givens was stationary on his motorcycle with his emergency lights on when the driver of a Kia Sportage struck the officer at a high rate of speed,” DPD reports.
The driver of the Kia Sportage crashed into the concrete divider at high speed and remained at the scene where he was subsequently arrested for suspicion of DWI, according to DPD. He has been identified as a 25-year-old Black male.
Givens Was Heavily Involved in Several Charities & is Remembered as a “Great Guy With a Great, Big Heart”
Frazier, vice president of the Dallas Police Association and a friend of Givens for 15 years, told Dallas News that Givens was deeply involved in fundraising for various charities, one of which was the Assist the Officer Foundation. “The foundation will be taking donations in his name to distribute to his two young adult sons,” Frazier said.
“He was a great guy with a great, big heart,” Frazier said. “How tragic could this be? He’s escorting a fallen officer to make sure that he’s honored the way he would want to be honored, and he gets killed by a drunk driver.”
This is a developing story. Heavy will continue to update as more information is known.