David Irvine Rucker
Agency patch
Trooper

David Irvine Rucker

Felonious
End of Watch September 29, 1981
Age 37
Tour of Duty 14 yrs
The Vigil Panel 124 ›
Gender Male

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

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Stewardship
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August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 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

Type Highway Patrol
Location Austin, Travis County, 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

The Sacrifice · Felonious

David is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,551 remembered there.

34,117 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

  1. See the roll
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Compare against
I

Time

In 1981, 126 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 39th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

David was 37. Of the 14,220 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. David had served 14 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death
Where he stood among them
Age by years of service
III

When

September holds 9.1% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Tuesdays: 13.4%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was handgun, in 23.4% of these deaths.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol has 96 officers remembered here, David among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Trooper David Irvine Rucker

Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol · End of Watch September 29, 1981

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 31-W

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