David Irvine Rucker

Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol — Austin, TX

Felonious

End of Watch September 29, 1981

Age 37

Tour of Duty 14 yrs

The Vigil Panel 124 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 94

Incident

Trooper David Rucker was shot and killed while making a traffic stop on Highway 100 six miles east of Los Fresnos. Shortly after he was murdered, Patrolman Enrique Carrisalez of the Los Fresnos Police Department stopped the same man, not knowing he had just shot and killed Trooper Rucker. Officer Carrisalez was shot and mortally wounded as he exited his patrol car. A doctor found Trooper Rucker's body laid out in the traffic lane holding the identification of the man wanted in connection with both murders. Trooper Rucker had never radioed in the stop. The suspect was eventually arrested and was executed in 1993. During a search of the suspect's home officers recovered the stolen duty weapon of Hidalgo County Constable Ricky Lewis, murdered in 1979. The suspect was never charged with Constable Lewis' murder, which officially remains unsolved. Trooper Rucker had served with the Texas Highway Patrol for 14 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and three children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-TX-A33D580F
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: April 2, 2026
Last updated: July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Trooper Rucker gave the Texas Department of Public Safety 14 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Texas. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Trooper Rucker.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol

Location Austin, TX

Platform Identity tdpsthp.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 29, 1981

Tour of Duty 14 yrs

Age 37

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Handgun

Offender Executed in 1993

Trooper David Irvine Rucker is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In TX, 1,463 of 2,421 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.4% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol, 35 of 95 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 36.8% of this agency's fallen.

Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol

of 95 officers

36.8% Felonious

TX — Statewide

1,463

of 2,421 officers

60.4% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious