Sheriff: Texas constable mistakenly killed by deputy

MISSOURI CITY, Texas (AP) — A Texas deputy mistakenly shot and killed another responding officer early Friday while searching a home after a neighbor reported a suspicious person in the area, authorities said.

The shooting happened in the Sienna Plantation subdivision in Missouri City, about 15 miles (25 kilometers) southwest of Houston.

Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls said a neighbor called police to report that someone suspicious was running in the area. Fort Bend County sheriff’s deputies and Deputy Constable Caleb Rule responded, he said.

The officers came upon an unoccupied home with an unlocked door and entered to search it, he said. While searching the home, a deputy fatally shot Rule, mistaking him for an intruder, Nehls said.

“What else do you say? You’ve got to pray for everybody — just a tragic, tragic scene here,” the sheriff said early Friday.

Before joining the constable’s office, Rule worked at the Missouri City Police Department, authorities said.

The deputy, whose name has not been released, was placed on leave, as per department policy in deputy-involved shootings, and an investigation into the shooting was underway, Nehls said.

The Associated Press