On December 8, 2024, at about 11 p.m., 28-year-old Terrell Police Officer Jacob Candanoza stopped a vehicle near I-20 and Highway 34 in Terrell, Texas and requested backup. Shortly after, 911 calls reported an officer had been shot. Officer Candanoza was found with gunshot wounds and was taken to Baylor Scott & White Hospital in Forney, where he later died.

Authorities say the suspect, identified as 25-year-old Darrian Cortez Johnson of Mississippi, fled in his vehicle. Using the license plate information Officer Candanoza provided, law enforcement located and pursued the vehicle; Johnson was taken into custody at the Mill Creek Ranch Resort in Canton, about 30 miles east of Terrell. He has been charged with capital murder in connection with the shooting.

Candanoza had been with the Terrell Police Department since July 2024, previously served in the United States Marine Corps from 2014 to 2019, and worked with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office. He is survived by his wife and child; a funeral service was held. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to come forward.