MCALLEN, Texas – A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper died from complications related to injuries that he sustained during a line-of-duty shooting. The shooting occurred in the border city of Edinburg, Texas, in early April.
On Saturday evening, the Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed the passing of 49-year-old Trooper Moises Sanchez. Trooper Sanchez endured numerous surgeries following his being shot in April. According to DPS, on April 6, Sanchez approached a two-vehicle crash in Edinburg. The driver of one of the vehicles tried to flee the scene and shot Sanchez. One of the shots struck Sanchez in the head causing severe injuries that eventually took his life.
“Today is an extremely difficult day for Texas, as we have lost one of our finest, Trooper Moises Sanchez,” said DPS Director Steven McCraw. “Trooper Sanchez demonstrated great strength and bravery as a Texas Trooper, and we will honor his selfless service and sacrifice forever. Our DPS family is deeply saddened by his passing, and we are asking for continued prayers and support for Trooper Sanchez’s wife and three children as well as his countless friends and colleagues during this difficult time.”
Following the shooting, authorities carried out a large scale manhunt for 24-year-old Victor Alejandro Godinez, the Monitor reported at the time. Since then, the Hidalgo County District Attorney’s Office charged Godinez with three counts of attempted capital murder. Since Sanchez’s passing, DA Ricardo Rodriguez announced that his office will seek to raise the charge to capital murder.
In a matter of weeks, the Rio Grande Valley, a region that Edinburg is part of, has seen several serious shooting incidents involving law enforcement officials. Sanchez’s passing comes just two months after Mission Police Corporal Jose “Speedy” Espiricueta died in a shootout while responding to a call of a violent suspect with a weapon, Breitbart Texas reported. In that case, the suspect died from injuries sustained in the shooting.
In early August, a group of Gulf Cartel gunmen shot approximately 50 times using AK-47s at a group of U.S. Border Patrol agents riding in boats as they patrolled the waters of the Rio Grande near Texas border city of Roma, Breitbart Texas reported. That area is a known drug trafficking corridor that has seen a dramatic rise in violence on the Mexican side in recent days.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
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