Candlelight vigil Sunday night to honor Grand Prairie Police Officer A.J. Castaneda

The Grand Prairie Police Department will host a candlelight vigil Sunday night in honor of Officer Albert “A.J.” Castaneda.

Castaneda, 38, was killed Friday morning when he was hit by a car while standing outside of his patrol vehicle running radar on the President George Bush Turnpike.

The vigil is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Sunday at GPPD Headquarters, at 1525 Arkansas Lane in Grand Prairie.

Castaneda was the father of an 11-year-son, according to the department. Donations for Castaneda’s family may be made at a website set up by the Grand Prairie Police Benevolent Association: https://grandprairie.firstresponderprocessing.com/

More than $12,000 had been raised as of 8 p.m. Saturday.

Castaneda was the third officer in the Grand Prairie department’s history to die while on duty. The other two officers were Sgt. Gregory Hunter, who died June 18, 2004; and Officer Lyndon King, who died March 1, 1982.

Castaneda was a five-year veteran of the Grand Prairie police force who was assigned to the patrol division’s field operations bureau.

Troopers with the Texas Department of Public Safety are investigating the accident, and no charges have been filed against the driver, who lost control of his car for unknown reasons, Grand Prairie police said.

This story was originally published June 8, 2019 at 8:42 PM.