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Saturday, April 6, 2019 was a night of confusion that forever changed the life of 49-year-old Trooper Moises Sanchez, his family and the law enforcement that responded to Sanchez’s aid.
And it all started with a car crash.
At 8:45 p.m., Sanchez responded to the scene of the crash on North 10th Street and Freddy Gonzalez Drive where he learned that his alleged soon-to-be assailant, Victor Alejandro Godinez, then 24, had fled on foot for unknown reasons, according to initial law enforcement reports.
Once Sanchez caught up with Godinez, he opened fire on the trooper and struck him twice, once in the head and once in the shoulder, leaving him in critical condition, authorities have said.
A statement from the Texas Department of Public Safety was issued at 10:54 p.m. which said that Sanchez encountered Godinez near the 1500 block of South Maltese Street in Edinburg when the shooting occurred.
“At some point after making contact with the suspect, the trooper was shot,” the statement said. “The trooper has been transported to a local hospital.”
Sanchez had been taken to DHR Health for surgery.
Meanwhile, a manhunt for Godinez involving several law enforcement agencies, which included federal, state and local departments, was well underway.
Bystanders reported that Cordon’s Taste of Chicago, a nearby restaurant, was on lockdown following the shooting. Others reported seeing tactical units and a SWAT team in the area.
It was some time after 12:30 a.m. that the manhunt ended with Godinez’s apprehension on Mon Mack Road and State Highway 107. He allegedly shot at two other Edinburg police officers during the manhunt before being apprehended.
Those two Edinburg officers, Sandra Tapia and Jessie Moreno, weren’t hurt in the shooting.
Later that Sunday morning, Godinez was arraigned on three counts of attempted capital murder of a peace officer as DPS revealed Sanchez was stable following his surgery but remained in critical condition.
Godinez was held on $3 million in bonds.
The following Monday, former Edinburg Police Chief Cesar Torres held a press conference where he revealed police had recovered a .357 revolver believed to have been used in both shootings.
A prayer vigil for Sanchez was held the following day at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance as well as a blood drive in his honor a few days later held by Vitalant.
About a month later, Sanchez’s wife, Yvonne, announced through a DPS statement that her husband remained in the neurology intensive care unit at DHR and was showing signs of improvement.
“His vitals remain strong,” she wrote. “We are pleased to see a little improvement every day with movement in his face and body.
“We have a long journey ahead…”
And although that journey began with glimmers of hope, it would come to a fateful end in late August.
On Aug. 22, 2019 Yvonne stated through a DPS statement via Facebook that Sanchez was scheduled for a surgery to replace his bone flap with a reconstructed titanium mesh one.
A couple days later, on Aug. 24, 2019 State Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, confirmed Sanchez’s death through a Facebook post.
Sanchez died from complications stemming from the surgery he underwent that Thursday which was conducted in a Houston hospital.
On Sept. 19, 2019 a grand jury indicted Godinez on a capital murder of a peace officer and two counts of attempted capital murder of a peace officer. The initial indictment was dismissed.
As tribute to his sacrifice, the city of Edinburg revealed a new road that runs between 107 and Monte Cristo named Trooper Moises Sanchez Boulevard on Halloween of that year in a ceremony that included Sanchez’s family, his fellow brothers in blue and city officials.
Because of the new charge against him, state prosecutors began to contemplate whether they would seek the death penalty against Godinez and the road to that decision proved to be filled with delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Hurricane Hanna.
It wasn’t until Sept. 16, 2020 that the Hidalgo County District Attorney’s Office announced that if Godinez was convicted of killing Sanchez, prosecutors would pursue the death penalty.
Now after almost four years, a global pandemic and construction delays for a new courthouse, Godinez, now 28, will face a judge and jury beginning Monday morning.
Here’s the latest update:
Sister of off-duty cop recalls frantic Edinburg scene where DPS trooper was shot
