GhLinks Media
A Terrell police officer was shot and killed while on duty late Sunday night in a motel parking lot.
According to the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office, Officer Jacob Candanoza, 28, was shot around 11 p.m. in the parking lot of the Super 8 Motel on the 1600 block of TX-34 South, near Interstate 20.
Police said Candanoza encountered a man in a pickup truck in the parking lot, where a struggle ensued.
The suspect shot Candanoza during the altercation and fled the scene in a gray Chevrolet Colorado pickup with Mississippi license plates, heading east on I-20.
Candanoza was taken to a hospital in Forney where he died from his injuries.
Deputies spotted the truck near the Kaufman and Van Zandt County line, starting a chase. The suspect eventually crashed the vehicle and fled on foot into a wooded area.
He was later taken into custody, police confirmed.
The Texas Rangers are leading the investigation with local police and sheriff’s deputies.
At a press conference held early Monday at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Forney, Terrell Police Chief described Candanoza as a husband and father of a young child.
According to the nonprofit Officer Down Memorial Page, Candanoza is the first Terrell police officer killed in the line of duty since 1980.
Candanoza had been with Terrell police since July 2024.
He leaves behind a wife and young son.
