Fort Bend County Constable's deputy killed in accidental shooting

By R. Hans Miller | Times Senior Reporter
Posted 5/29/20

Fort Bend County Constable Office Pct. 4 Deputy Caleb Rule was killed in the line of duty at about 2 a.m. this morning. Rule was accidentally shot by a Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office deputy …

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Fort Bend County Constable's deputy killed in accidental shooting

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Fort Bend County Constable Office Pct. 4 Deputy Caleb Rule was killed in the line of duty at about 2 a.m. this morning. Rule was accidentally shot by a Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office deputy when he responded to a call in the 3900 block of Chestnut Bend in Missouri City, southeast of the Katy Area according to a FBCSO press release.

“We are heartbroken over this,” said Sheriff Troy Nehls in an early-morning press release. “We are praying for everyone involved and will have chaplains available for whoever needs them, regardless of what agency they’re with.”

The sheriff’s deputy fired at Rule after mistaking him for an intruder at the residence at the scene of the call. Rule was wearing his protective gear including his bullet proof vest at the time, according to the FBCSO press release. He was flown to Memorial Hermann Hospital downtown with a gunshot wound to the chest and later died of his injuries.

The Constable for Precinct 4 is Trever Nehls, Sheriff Nehls’ twin brother.

Sheriff Nehls said at a press conference that three FBCSO deputies and Rule had responded to a report of a suspicious person in the Sienna Plantation subdivision at about 1:40 a.m. this morning. The deputies noticed a back door that was not secured and then entered the residence to clear the home. Soon after, an FBCSO officer discharged his firearm in the belief that an intruder in the residence, hitting Rule.

First aid was provided immediately, Sheriff Nehls said.

Rule was on the scene as part of the mutual assistance regularly practiced by Fort Bend County law enforcement agencies, Constable Nehls said. Since he was nearby in his assigned area, he responded to the call with the FBCSO deputies to aid them in the call, which is standard practice.

Constable Nehls said Rule was a fine man with nearly 15 years of law enforcement experience. Rule served 14 of those years with the Missouri City Police Department, including time as a detective from 2011 to 2018, Constable Nehls said.

Rule was hired by the precinct four constable’s office in September 2019 and was assigned to the Riverstone subdivision as a patrol deputy, Constable Nehls said. As a veteran law enforcement officer, Rule was a mentor to his fellow officers, and had an outgoing personality and loved to interact with the community, he added.  

“He was a family man – devoted husband, devoted father – and he spoke often of his family and the love of his family,” Constable Nehls said at a late-morning press conference.

Rule is survived by his wife, Eden Rule and their four children between the ages of 13 and 18, Constable Nehls said. Rule’s oldest daughter is scheduled to graduate this evening, he added.

Constable Nehls said details as to how the misidentification happened which led to Rule’s death was not something he was going to speculate upon.

Sheriff Nehls said the Texas Rangers, Fort Bend County District Attorney and his own office were all conducting investigations into the incident.

“This is a somber day for the entire law enforcement community here in Fort Bend County,” Constable Nehls said.         

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include a photo of Deputy Rule.

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