911: Lone Star season 5 fall finale ending explained: Who killed Carlos' dad?

911: Lone Star finally answered who killed Carlos’ father and it wasn’t what fans expected!

Caution: This article contains SPOILERS for 911: Lone Star Season 5 Episode 9

Throughout Season 5 of 911: Lone Star, Carlos has been haunting who was responsible for the murder of her father last year. He’d been partnering with Ranger Campbell, and Episode 8 had Carlos rocked when a dying crook revealed his dad had suspected someone in the Rangers of selling info on undercover cops and informants to cartels…and that Campbell was the guy.

Did Campbell kill Carlos' dad in 911: Lone Star?

Carlos brought his suspicions to Chief Bridges, who did some checking and told Carlos that records showed Campbell had accessed all those files on murdered cops and informants. The pair went to Campbell’s home to meet his wife, Ashley (Peyton List). They found $100,000 in his safe and were ready to bring Campbell in. Campbell used the classic “let me say goodbye” first to run.

The cops were after him as Campbell broke into a home for a car, fighting the owner. The Rangers hunted him to a nearby park with Campbell firing at them. As he got the man lined up in his scope, Carlos was struck by how Campbell seemed to avoid shooting at him while Bridges pressed Carlos to kill the guy. 

It finally hit Carlos that Bridges could also access those files and his gun was like the one that murdered his dad. With a sigh, Bridges shot Carlos, ready to add him to the pile, only to be shot dead himself by Campbell. 

Thankfully, Carlos was okay and checked with Campbell at the hospital to apologize which Campbell accepted (that money was from winning at card games). The episode ended with Carlos at his dad’s grave, sharing that the Rangers were set to make Campbell out as a hero, but Carlos wanted to tell the truth. He bid a tearful farewell to his dad. 

That was a big turn, so what does it mean for Carlos in the future?

What’s next for Carlos?

Speaking to TVLine, co-showrunner Rashad Raisani shared how Carlos is going to have to deal with the fallout once it’s revealed that a revered Ranger was a corrupt killer, which could hit him hard. 

"It’ll be mentioned, but this is the midseason finale, so when we come back in six weeks, there’s another storyline that pulls the narrative. We also have a time jump, so we skip over the logistics — press conferences and all of that. We only have three episodes left, and we’ve got major ground to cover. It’s an elegant time jump on Judd’s story, then you’ll start to catch up with details about what’s going on with Carlos and T.K., particularly in Episode 11, when we drill down on where these guys are going."

Among those changes is how the pair may decide to formally adopt young Jonah. TK was already eager to do it while Carlos was less sure of adding parenthood to their plate so soon. However, his experiences with his father’s murder might have him reconsidering. But, Raisani warns it may not be so easy.

"We will do an episode where we deal with some of the unexpected turbulence that comes their way on that front. It leads to an ultimate decision for one of these guys. It’s a series-altering moment."

A big question is if this means either man could possibly be leaving their job to focus on parenthood. Carlos is a dedicated cop, while TK loves being a paramedic, so the question is if either is willing to make that sacrifice. Yet putting his dad to rest does mean Carlos is in for a new direction. 

So 911: Lone Star closed out one dramatic plotline while it appears the last episodes are ready to amp things up for Carlos majorly.

911: Lone Star Season 5 returns on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025 at 8/7c on Fox.