According to the police, the officer phoned for help after stopping a truck from Mississippi with expired license plates. However, he was shot several times at close range before help arrived.
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Terrell PD Officer Jacob Candanoza was shot at a Super 8 Motel in Kaufman County on Sunday night.
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He was taken to Baylor Scott and White in Forney but died from his injuries.
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The suspect, 25-year-old Darrian Johnson, was taken into custody after a police chase.
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Candanoza is the first Terrell officer to be killed in the line of duty since 1980.
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Terrell PD Officer Jacob Candanoza was shot at a Super 8 Motel in Kaufman County on Sunday night.
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He was taken to Baylor Scott and White in Forney but died from his injuries.
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The suspect, 25-year-old Darrian Johnson, was taken into custody after a police chase.
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Candanoza is the first Terrell officer to be killed in the line of duty since 1980.
An ATerrell police officer was shot and died in a motel parking lot late on Sunday night while on duty in Kautzman County.
According to investigators, at approximately 11 p.m., 28-year-old Officer Jacob Candanoza stopped a Mississippi pickup truck with expired license plates in a motel parking lot along State Highway 34 close to I-20 in Terrell.
Before approaching the pickup being driven by Darrian Cortez Johnson, 25, the officer made a call for cover. However, authorities said Johnson shot the officer multiple times in the head and face at close range before help could arrive.
“During the initial traffic stop,” Terrell Police Lt. Mary Hauger stated, “the officer was able to provide a license plate.” “Off-duty officers along with Texas highway patrol located that vehicle and pursued it into Van Zandt County.”
After seeing the truck close to the border between Van Zandt and Kaufman counties, deputies began pursuing it. Eventually, they said, Johnson crashed the car and fled into a rural area.
Following a seven-hour manhunt, Johnson was apprehended by authorities around 5:30 a.m. He was charged with the capital murder of a peace officer and taken to the Kaufman County jail.
After being brought to a hospital in Forney, Candanoza passed away from his wounds.
In remembrance of the deceased Terrell Police Department officer who is being taken to the medical examiner’s office, over fifty cops have ringed the Baylor Scott & White hospital in Forney. Last night, Jacob Candanoza lost his life in an on-duty shooting.
The 28-year-old spent five years in the U.S. Marine Corps. He met his wife there, and they had a daughter together.
Before enrolling at the academy in 2023, Candanoza started his career as a courtesy patrol officer at the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office. In July, he became a member of the Terrell Police Department.
Along with local police and sheriff’s deputies, the Texas Rangers are spearheading the investigation.
In Dallas County, fellow cops honored him with a parade from the hospital to the medical examiner’s office.
David Candanoza, the officer’s father, told FOX 4 about the heartbreaking moment he learned his son was dead.
Knowing that he is on that side of the curtain is all that is necessary. We were conversing outside. One of the lights flickered, and it got brighter where we were at. A policeman asks, “What happened?” The father recounted, “I go, Jacob just got his wings.”
David says he was relieved to know his son s suspected killer was caught.
“I was such a nervous wreck because I thought this guy would get away,” he said. “The second they said they got him, I screamed out, Hell yeah! And I just broke down falling down crying.”
Terrell Police Officer Jacob Candanoza leaves behind a wife and a daughter. His father spoke with FOX 4, reliving the moment he heard the horrific news.
David took comfort late Monday evening at the family’s skating rink in Cedar Hill, where Jacob stopped by Saturday evening to show off his police equipment.
“I just can’t believe this happened. I just saw him 24 hours ago,” he said. “I remember the way I gave him the last hug before he left.”
Candanoza would have turned 29 on Saturday. He is the first Terrell police officer killed in the line of duty since 1980.
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Information in this article comes from Terrell police.
Information in this article comes from Terrell police.
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