Officer Antonio Trevino Canales
San Antonio Police Department, TX
Born: September 11, 1942
Cause of Death: Gunfire
End of Watch: Thursday, May 18, 1972
Date of Incident: Thursday, May 18, 1972
Age: 29
Badge Number: 773
Tour of Duty: 3 years
Suspect Info: Both men convicted; shooter was given 1,000 years.
Weapon Used: Sawed-off shotgun
Buried: San Fernando Cemetery #2
Location of Name on National and Texas Monuments
NLEOMF: P27 - W11
TPOM: 32, C, 12
Officer Canales stopped a vehicle on the 1200 block of Frio Rd. As Officer Canales approached the vehicle, the passenger shot Officer Canales in the chest using a 50 birdshot shotgun. Officer Canales fell and returned six shots at the vehicle departing. The occupants of the vehicle were Eugene Spencer and Edwin H. Bates and had committed a couple of convenient store robberies minutes earlier. As Spencer and Bates were fleeing, they lowered their heads to avoid Officer Canales's shots. The vehicle struck the expressway support of Hwy 90. Both Spencer and Bates bailed out of the vehicle to hide from police. Officer Canales crawled to his patrol unit to radio for assistance. As officers arrived, Bates gave himself up to police. Spencer was located the next day. Officer Canales died a short time later.
Officer Canales was survived by his wife and two sons.
Officer Canales attended Burbank High School, where he dropped out in the 10th grade. Officer Canales began to work for San Antonio as a City Garbage man and worked his way up to Supervisor in the Public Works Department. While working there he studied and received his GED. After he joined the San Antonio Police Department, Det. Tony Montalvo SAPD and Instructor at the Academy had this to say about Officer Canales. "One of the quietest, most polite kids we have ever had to go through the Police Academy. He never said a cross word and he never complained." -----source San Antonio Express News
Officer Antonio Canales' wife was actually 6 weeks pregnant with his 3rd son, Joseph A Canales, who is now known as Bexar County Deputy Joseph A Canales. Deputy Canales joied The Sheriff's Office in 2003. He has taken this tragedy, and own experiences from being on Patrol, and is now Bexsar County's Defensive Tactics Instructor at their Training Academy. His main focus is on Officer Safety. He has his father to thank for this, even though he never got a chance to meet his father, his passion derives from him and doing his part to prevent any further tegedies. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
ReplyDeleteJessica R Canales (wife of Deputy Canales)
I recently obtained the complete case file. Such a tragedy. One of our instructors Tony Montalvo spoke of Antonio often. THere were lot of heros that day including the two officers that gave you aid and drove you Santa Rosa Hospital by patrol car. And Officer Steve Gerhline who recently passed away as the officer who captured the shooter after a 12 hr quadran. We had real police officers then like Capt Bob Huerk who refused to take down the quadrant and despite pressure from other Brass to release officers kept it up till they caught the killer. Officers even came from home and helped manned check points.
ReplyDeleteRetired cop