Update:
3:05 p.m. Nov. 27, 2024: Updated with new information.
Slain Greenville officer Cooper Dawson honored; accused killer faces capital murder charge
Dawson was shot Monday night while chasing a suspect and died early Tuesday morning, police say.
A day after Cooper Dawson died from his injuries, hundreds of people paid tribute to the first Greenville police officer killed in the line of duty in over a century.
Dawson died early Tuesday at Medical City Plano after being shot while chasing a suspect, police say. He would have turned 28 next month and is survived by his wife and three children, according to Greenville police Chief Chris Smith.
The fallen officer’s funeral is expected to take place at Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall on Dec. 3, Greenville police Lt. Brandon West told The Dallas Morning News Wednesday.
On Wednesday morning, dozens of vehicles brought Dawson — who his department called “our hometown hero” — back to Greenville, a city located about 50 miles northeast of Dallas in Hunt County. Community members also lined up along parts of the procession’s route, raising flags and saluting the motorcade as it went by.
“It’s horrible what these young men have to go through to protect all of us, so I just wanted to come out here and pay my respects,” said Rey Walton, a Greenville resident.
Procession honors fallen Greenville police officer Cooper Dawson
A procession honors fallen Greenville police officer Cooper Dawson in Greenville on Nov. 27, 2024. (Azul Sordo/Staff Photographer)
Beckie Nafikov, a resident of nearby Caddo Mills, also called the incident a tragedy. She added that it has hit her family hard because one of her sons is also a police officer in Hunt County.
“As parents, we always knew that that could be a thing,” Nafikov said. “But now it just brings that more forward to our memory and to our minds that it’s a real possibility.”
Suspect identified
The chain of events started at about 7:40 p.m. Monday when Dawson conducted a traffic stop after realizing that the driver — who police have since identified as 25-year-old Christian Robert Sparger — had “multiple felony warrants,” Smith said during an emotional Tuesday press conference.
The suspect had four warrants out of Denton County, West told the News Wednesday.
West said three of them were probation violation warrants related to charges of aggravated assault and continuous family violence, which Sparger had pleaded guilty to in 2023 based on county court records. The remaining one was a parole violation warrant for a separate assault charge, according to police..
The traffic stop then led to a foot chase and the suspect shot the officer “multiple times” as he rounded a corner during the pursuit, according to the police chief. Dawson, however, was able to return fire and struck the suspect.
Police say the suspect was sent to Hunt County Regional Hospital, and Texas Rangers will also be conducting an investigation.
Sparger is still receiving medical treatment at the hospital Wednesday, but he was arraigned earlier in the day for capital murder on top of the previous four charges, according to West.
Prior to this incident, he was also arrested in 2017 and 2018 for marijuana possession, public intoxication and failure to identify as a fugitive with intent to provide false information, according to Hunt County jail records.
Outpour of support
Reflecting on memories of Dawson, Smith called him a “good man” and an “excellent officer” during a Tuesday press conference.
Dawson had been serving with the Greenville Police Department since April 2023 and was an instructor for fellow officers, according to the police chief. He is also listed on the Texas Narcotics Officers Association as a training officer for the north region.
“We’re hurting as a department,” Smith said during the news conference. “We’re hurting as a community.”
Greenville police hold press conference after officer fatally shot
The Greenville Police Department held a press conference after officer Cooper Dawson was fatally shot on Monday. (Azul Sordo/Staff Photographer)
Other police departments and officials from across the state have also expressed their condolences.
“Cooper was more than just a Greenville Police Officer; he was a friend to many here at the Garland Police Department, a devoted husband, father, and a loving family man,” said a news release from Garland police. “He wore the Garland PD badge with pride for seven years, dedicating himself to the safety and well-being of our community and Greenville PD.”
Azul Sordo contributed to this report.
