HOUSTON – A former Fort Bend County sheriff’s deputy has been charged with criminal negligent homicide in the shooting death of a 37-year-old deputy constable in the Sienna Plantation area of Missouri City in May.
Chadwick Devin McRae, 49, of Stafford, is charged in the death of Caleb Rule, records show.
The grand jury indictment reads, in part, “Chadwick Devin McRae, hereafter styled the Defendant, heretofore on or about May 29, 2020, did then and there, by criminal negligence, cause the death of an individual, namely Caleb Rule, hereafter the complainant, by firing a deadly weapon, namely a firearm, in the direction of the complainant without visually checking the area where he was firing, against the peace and dignity of the State.”
See the full grand jury indictment document below. Go here on a mobile device to see the document.
Officials said the incident happened on May 29 at around 1:40 a.m. at a home in the 3900 block of Chestnut Bend.
Officials said at the time that they received a call for a vacant property check-in at Sienna Plantation after a neighbor called and said she saw someone running down the street, though it was suspicious. Officials said three deputies responded, as well as a deputy with Pct 4.
Deputies said they entered the residence through a back door that was not secure. They were then going through the process of clearing the home and at some point in time, the sheriff’s deputy discharged his weapon after he thought that there was a suspect inside the house.
Officials said Rule was flown to Memorial Hermann with CPR in progress, where he later died.
The Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office released a statement about McRae, saying he was terminated following an internal investigation due to violation of the office’s Use of Force Policy as it related to Rule’s death.
“Our thoughts and prayers remain with the family of Deputy Caleb Rule as they continue to deal with this tragedy,” Sheriff Troy Nehls is quoted as saying in the statement.
“This situation is tragic,” Fort Bend County District Attorney Brian M. Middleton said. “It is sad when a fellow member of the law enforcement community is criminally charged with breaching his duty of care. And the death of Deputy Rule, who was on duty serving his community at the time of his death, is an unbearable loss for his wife, children, and extended family.”
The Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office referred questions to the Texas Rangers, as the lead investigative agency, and the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office.
Criminally negligent homicide is a state jail felony with a range of punishment of 180 days to two years in state jail and up to a $10,000 fine. A court date has not been set at this time.
See KPRC 2′s original reporting from when the shooting happened.