UPDATE: Texas Trooper Declared Dead, Will Share 'Gift of Life' as Organ Donor

Steve Warren
03-31-2021

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A Texas state trooper who was shot multiple times Friday evening as he answered a call to assist a disabled motorist on Highway 84 near Mexia, "no longer displays signs of viable brain activity and he remains on life-support until he can share the gift of life as an organ donor," the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is now reporting.

KWTX.com reports DPS Trooper Chad Walker was transported to Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest Medical Center in Waco where he has remained in intensive care since the shooting. 

"This final sacrifice embodies Trooper Walker's actions throughout his life and service as a Texas Highway Patrol Trooper. The Walker family is grateful for the continued support and prayers as they remain at Chad's side," the Texas DPS wrote in a follow-up tweet later Monday. 

Walker is survived by his wife, a 15-year-old son, twin 7-year-old daughters and a two-month-old daughter.

As CBN News previously reported, Trooper Walker pulled up to the vehicle, which was occupied by 36-year-old DeArthur Pinson Jr. around 7:45 pm Friday. Before the trooper could exit his patrol car, Pinson emerged from his driver's seat and opened fire, according to the Texas DPS Officers Association. 

Walker sustained gunshot wounds to the head and abdomen during the shooting.   

The suspect, who fled the scene on foot, was found deceased Saturday evening from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, KTRK-TV reports.

The community, along with several members of Central Texas law enforcement and firefighters, gathered in Waco on Saturday for a prayer vigil in Walker's honor. 

"Chad is always one to help others, which is what he was doing the other night," said Groesbeck Chief of Police Chris Henson. "He is always one to just step out there and lend a hand and he is always one that I will forever call my brother." 

Walker joined the Texas Department of Public Safety in 2015.  His grandfather, Dennis Walker, served as Limestone County's sheriff from the late 1970s until the mid-1990s, according to KWTX.com.  Walker is the third DPS trooper to die in the line of duty in Central Texas since 2017.

A GoFundMe page was created by Walker's family and friends to help with the trooper's medical bills and the financial needs of the family. So far, the effort has raised more than $232,000, surpassing its $200,000 goal. 

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About The Author

Steve Warren is a senior multimedia producer for CBN News. Warren has worked in the news departments of television stations and cable networks across the country. In addition, he also worked as a producer-director in television production and on-air promotion. A Civil War historian, he authored the book The Second Battle of Cabin Creek: Brilliant Victory. It was the companion book to the television documentary titled Last Raid at Cabin Creek currently streaming on Amazon Prime. He holds an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma and a B.A. in Communication from the University of
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