Red: The Cop Killer Who Haunted My Childhood

A personal story of fear, readiness, and the lasting impact of violence

This story is adapted from the book Built by Fire by David Burnell.

There’s a moment in every warrior’s life when the war begins—long before the uniform, long before the mission. For me, it started in Lawndale, California.

My father was a police officer. That made me a target.

And there was one kid who made sure I knew it.

We called him “Red.”
Fiery red hair, scrawny build, always barefoot in the lawn.
He wasn’t Latino, though he claimed the local gang like a second skin.
Red lived just one block from me, and every school day, I passed his front yard like walking a gauntlet.

“I’m gonna kill your daddy, piglet,” he’d hiss.

I was just a kid. I didn’t answer. I didn’t run. I just… walked. Eyes locked on the sidewalk. Heart pounding.
Fear was constant—but silence kept me alive.

The Shootout That Ended It

Years later, Red made good on his promise.

He didn’t kill my father.
But he did kill a Torrance motorcycle cop—just blocks from where I lived.
In the same moment, he was killed himself.

There was mourning, yes—for the officer and the injustice of it all.
But in the quiet corners of my heart… I also felt relief.
A threat—real and lingering—had been erased.

Violence at the Flagpole

Not long after, a boy at school mocked the American flag during a fire drill.
Said he’d use it as toilet paper.

I saw red—figuratively this time. And I snapped.
I knocked him flat in front of everyone.

The school brought me in, sat me down, and told me, “You won’t make it if you fight like that. The bad ones? They’re always ready. You need to be better.”

And from that moment forward, I swore:
“I will always be ready.”

Lessons from the Edge

This story isn’t about vengeance or violence.

It’s about vigilance.

It’s about what it means to live with a quiet fire inside you…
A readiness that comes not from fear, but from clarity.

I learned young that good men can die for simply doing what’s right.
That uniforms come with bullseyes.
And that some ghosts never go away—they just change names.

But more than that…
I learned that readiness is a choice. A lifestyle. A shield.

And I chose to wear it every day since.

– David Burnell
Founder of Echo Valor
Veteran | Author of Built by Fire