James Scott Burns Tribute

The funeral for a trooper who was shot and killed Tuesday night in Marion County will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at the First Baptist Church in Linden. Burial will follow at the Shiloh Cemetery on U.S. 59 South, under the direction of Reeder-Davis-Schindler Funeral Home in Linden.

Visitation for slain DPS Trooper James Scott Burns, who was killed during a traffic stop, is from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday in the Fellowship Hall at the First Baptist Church.

Law enforcement agencies are searching for former East Texas law officer Brandon Wayne Robertson, who is suspected in Burns' death.

Burns joined the DPS on March 1, 2003. He was stationed in Linden until that office closed.

He worked in the department's Atlanta patrol office before joining the department's Jefferson office in 2004.

Burns worked for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice before joining the DPS. He was born in Longview and attended Tyler Junior College, Texarkana College and Ouachita Baptist University.

Burns is survived by his wife, Michaela, and 5-month-old daughter Micah.

His family is mourning his death by closing its Linden feed store doors with black ribbon and a sign that says closed due to death in family.

DPS Trooper and spokeswoman Sylvia Jennings said various law enforcement agencies were using helicopters and other means Wednesday to search for Robertson. Between 1992 and 1999, Robertson worked for the Kilgore and Overton police departments, as well as the Rusk County sheriff's office, according to state records. Jennings said officials believe the suspect is still in the Linden area and should be considered armed and dangerous.

"We will continue to search the area until we believe that he is not in the area," she said, and added that Robertson should be considered armed and dangerous.

She said she did not know why the trooper was pursuing Robertson, but that he was in contact the whole time with the Marion County Sheriff's Office. She said the video camera in the trooper's car had been shot and it doesn't show anything except the pursuit.

Burns, who had been with the department for five years, was based in Jefferson.