Holly MatkinMissouri City, TX – Fort Bend County Deputy Constable Caleb Rule was killed in the line of duty on May 29, after he was inadvertently shot by a fellow officer while responding to a potential burglary call.
The incident occurred at approximately 1:40 a.m. at a residence in the 3900-block of Chestnut Bend, KPRC reported.
Deputy Constable Rule, 37, and three Fort Bend Sheriff’s Office (FBSO) deputies responded to the Sienna Plantation neighborhood after a concerned citizen reported having seen someone running away from a vacant property, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.
The officers began checking the area and found a door standing open, so they entered the vacant residence.
As Deputy Constable Rule was clearing the home, one of the deputies he was working with mistook him for a suspect and fired his duty weapon at him.
The round struck Deputy Constable Rule in an area of his chest not covered by his ballistic vest, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.
He was flown to Memorial Hermann Hospital, where he succumbed to his gunshot wound, KTRK reported.
The deputy who mistakenly shot the deputy constable has been placed on administrative leave while the Texas Rangers investigate the incident, according to KPRC.
“I think what we have in this certain circumstance is mistaken identity,” Constable Trever Nehls told the news outlet. “A tragedy of mistaken identity.”
Deputy Constable Rule served the Missouri City Police Department for 14 years before he joined the Fort Bend County Constable’s Office Precinct 4 just nine months ago.
He leaves behind his wife and four children, KTRK reported.
“He was a great guy. He was a great officer, a great family man,” Fort Bent County Constable’s Office Precinct 4 Chief Deputy John Hermann told KPRC.
Deputy Constable Rule was laid to rest on Thursday.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Fort Bend County Deputy Constable Caleb Rule, both blood and blue. Thank you for your service.
Fort Bend County Deputy Constable Caleb Rule, your life mattered.