Stricken Officer Watchful Till the End

Gerard W. Burke Jr., 39, died while reporting a stolen car. (MPDC)

Driving through his neighborhood on his day off, D.C. police Sgt. Gerard W. Burke Jr. spotted something suspicious about a tan Honda Civic traveling down Kenyon Street in Northwest Washington.

Burke, who was on his way to catch a plane to New York for a funeral, did not hesitate Thursday night.

He picked up his cellphone and called a dispatcher, saying he thought the car was stolen and being driven by someone who looked 14 years old. He asked for help because he couldn't pull the car over in his personal Ford Explorer.

"He doesn't know I'm behind him yet," Burke, 39, said as he told the dispatcher his location on 11th Street NW about 5:15 p.m., according to an audiotape of the 911 call released yesterday by police.

A few seconds later, Burke can be heard gasping. Static fills the line.

The highly honored officer then crashed into parked cars and was hit by a vehicle. He died at Washington Hospital Center. An autopsy revealed yesterday that he suffered a fatal rupture of a major blood vessel, probably before the crash, police officials said.

Burke's actions led D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey yesterday to rule that his death came in the performance of duty. He will be buried with full police honors in coming days.

"He was one of the best this department has to offer," Ramsey said. "He was off duty in his personal vehicle. . . . Yet he saw what his instincts told him was a hot car, and he took action."

Burke, who grew up on Long Island, N.Y., and received a bachelor's degree in psychology from Catholic University, joined the department in 1990. He was engaged to be married, police officials said.

Burke was named sergeant of the year in the 3rd Police District in 2005 and lived in the police service area where he was assigned.

Cmdr. Larry McCoy and other officers praised Burke's instincts in noticing the car, which wasn't reported stolen to police until three hours after the crash, they said.

The Civic was recovered about 1:20 a.m. yesterday in the 1300 block of Spring Road NW, police said.

McCoy said that several years ago he needed help squelching problems in another area of town. He tapped Burke to supervise officers in those neighborhoods. Burke took the assignment without complaint, but community leaders and residents in the area he left grumbled about the move.

"I got a flood of calls from people asking me why I was taking Sergeant Burke away from them," McCoy said.

D.C. Council member Adrian M. Fenty (D-Ward 4) remembered running into Burke at community meetings when the sergeant worked in the 4th Police District. "He was omnipresent," Fenty said.

Several weeks ago, residents in Parkview complained about youths racing motorbikes in alleys behind Warder Street and Park Road NW, community leaders said.

Burke couldn't chase the kids because it would have been dangerous. So he kept watch, learned their identities and confronted them. He told the youths that driving the vehicles without permits or licenses was illegal. He apparently scared them into putting the bikes away.