Background: The area of 14 Center Street in Taylor, Arizona (Google Maps). Inset: Francis Alcantar-Chavez (Snowflake-Taylor Police Department).
A man who killed his mother and stepfather in Arizona fled to Missouri and shot at a state trooper before being killed, police said.
Francis Alcantar Chavez, 23, was wanted for the murders of Cynthia Templeton, 53, and Troy Templeton, 62, who were found dead in their home on Center Street in Taylor, Arizona, on Sunday, reportedly with gunshot wounds. It was Cynthia Templeton”s ex-husband who discovered the bodies while returning two children to their home, the Snowflake-Taylor Police Department said during a Wednesday news conference.
Chavez was quickly identified as a suspect, and police “issued a nationwide stop and hold” for him and his vehicle on Tuesday. It appears that he drove nearly 1,000 miles east to Concordia, Missouri. The city’s police department discovered him in that jurisdiction at about 6 p.m. that evening — but he got away.
About two hours later, Missouri State Troopers found Chavez’s motorcycle, and, according to them, he crashed into one of their vehicles and ran away. An officer followed, and Chavez is said to have fired a gun at him, hitting him in his bullet-resistant vest.
The trooper shot back and hit Chavez, killing him. The wounded law enforcement agent was brought to a nearby hospital and is expected to make a full recovery, police said.
“This is a tragic incident that has shaken our community,” Snowflake-Taylor Police Chief Robert Martin said of the double murder, per KSHB. “Our hearts to go out to the loved ones of Troy and Cynthia during this incredibly difficult time.”
The Templetons were members of the Arizona Rangers, “a uniformed, law enforcement auxiliary with a rich history dating back to the beginning of the twentieth century,” according to Phoenix-based ABC affiliate KNXV.
State Commander Col. Barry J. Adams said the couple met and fell in love through the civilian law enforcement force, AZFamily reported, adding that Cynthia Templeton’s sister said the couple had been married for a little more than a year.
