A speeding Kia Sportage smacked into the motorcycle officer, then crashed into a nearby concrete barrier, police said.
Photos from the Dallas Morning News showed the aftermath: a trail of debris leading to Givens' battered motorcycle, which came to rest against an I-20 guardrail. The Sportage sat a few metres away, crumpled against the concrete divider.
Other officers in the procession rendered aid, trying to keep Givens alive until paramedics arrived, but it was too late. He was pronounced dead when he arrived at Baylor University Medical Centre.
"We are just asking you to keep the Givens family in your prayers," Dallas Police Chief Renee Hall said. "Keep the Dallas Police Department in your prayers. Keep the city of Dallas in your prayers."
Dallas police said the driver of the Kia SUV was Adrian Breedlove, 25. He's charged with intoxicated manslaughter and with unlawfully carrying a weapon. He was being held in custody. It was unclear if he had hired or been appointed a lawyer.
The Dallas County District Attorney's Office said the crash is still under investigation, according to Dallas/Fort Worth CBS-affiliate KTVT, but "any charges referred to our office in this matter will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Fred Frazier, vice-president of the Dallas Police Association and a friend of Givens for 15 years, reflected on the irony of the tragedy.
"He was a great guy with a great big heart," Frazier told the Dallas Morning News. "How tragic could this be?"
Givens' death was the second line-of-duty death in Dallas this year. Officer Rogelio Santander, a three-year veteran, was killed on April 25, according to CBS News.
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings summed up the city's mourning in a tweet: "Our hearts are broken once again."
