A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper shot and killed 29-year-old Kenneth Earl Cansler during a traffic stop in San Angelo on Sunday afternoon, after what DPS described as a suspected turn signal violation escalated into a physical altercation. The Texas Rangers are now investigating the shooting, which unfolded near Coleman Street and North Harrison Street.
According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the trooper initiated the stop on a Chevrolet driven by Cansler on Sunday, and a weapon was introduced during the ensuing altercation, per the DPS release cited in that report. The trooper then fired, shooting and killing Cansler, the outlet reported. DPS has not released the trooper's name, and a department spokesperson said no additional information was available at this time, according to the same report.
The shooting occurred at about 1:15 p.m. Sunday near Coleman Street and North Harrison Street, as reported by San Angelo LIVE!.
A Legal Basis Rooted in a Minor Infraction
Under Section 545.104 of the Texas Transportation Code, drivers must signal continuously for at least 100 feet before turning or changing lanes, and Texas courts have consistently affirmed that a failure to signal provides reasonable suspicion for a stop, even in turn-only lanes, according to case law tracked by FindLaw. DPS described Sunday's stop as involving a suspected turn-signal violation.
Tom Green County had an estimated population of approximately 120,600 in 2025, according to figures from USAFacts.
Cansler's Prior Brush With San Angelo Police
Cansler had a documented history with local law enforcement. In September 2020, he was arrested in San Angelo at age 23 following a vehicle chase that ended on a high school athletic field, where officers recovered two loaded handguns and charged him with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and evading arrest, according to FOX West Texas.
The specific nature of the weapon introduced during Sunday's altercation remains unclear, as DPS officials have withheld further details while the Texas Rangers investigation continues, per reporting from FOX West Texas. The investigation is ongoing, and the trooper's identity has not been disclosed.
How the State Reviews Trooper Shootings
The Texas Rangers are investigating the San Angelo shooting. Separately, Article 2.139 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure requires agencies to submit a formal Peace Officer Involved Injuries or Death report to the Texas Office of the Attorney General within 30 days of any fatal officer shooting, with civil financial penalties for agencies that fail to file, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
It is not yet known whether the San Angelo trooper has been placed on leave.
The San Angelo case lands amid wider scrutiny of DPS trooper conduct during traffic enforcement. In February, a Travis County grand jury indicted a Texas DPS trooper on aggravated assault charges stemming from a July 2023 traffic stop and vehicle pursuit in Austin, Hoodline reported in its piece on the Austin trooper indictment. Statewide, Texas law enforcement agencies reported 225 officer-involved shooting incidents in 2022, resulting in 146 deaths, according to figures compiled by the Texas Office of the Attorney General and cited in Hoodline's coverage of a separate Brownsboro trooper shooting.
For now, the central question in San Angelo remains what happened in the moments between the traffic stop and the trooper opening fire. The Texas Rangers' investigation is active, and no further details have been released beyond what DPS has already disclosed.
