By Joseph Edgerton
Staff Writer

Police are investigating a murder/suicide in Bow that claimed the life of a father of four and left another family without a son.

The initial investigation has revealed that at 11:08 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 19, Joseph E. Grigas, 22, of 5 Sullivan Drive, Bow, shot Elmer J. "Al" Rule Jr., 50, of 17 Bela View Drive, Bow, three times in the head and chest before turning the 9 mm handgun on himself, police said. Grigas died from a head wound.

While police are conducting interviews and collecting evidence, the Rule and Grigas families are trying to make sense of the tragedy.

Joseph Grigas Sr. described his son as a thoughtful and caring young man, an avid outdoorsman and a corpsman in the Navy who loved his job. He was unable to explain his son's actions.

"This was completely out of the blue. We all had dinner together that night and he was fine - there was nothing negative at all." he said. "My heart goes out to the Rules. What happened to bring them together at the base of my driveway? For the life of me, I don't know what."

Before his son went out that night, Joseph Grigas Sr. said Grigas called Greg Rule, whom he described as his son's best friend.

"Greg was over here the day after the whole thing happened," said Grigas. "He felt the same way that we do. We're just awestruck by all of this."

A woman who answered the door at the Rule home on Monday, Nov. 21, declined comment.

John Letson, the telecommunications supervisor at the 911 Emergency Call Center, remembered Elmer "Al" Rule as a caring and compassionate father who attended his children's soccer games and told his co-workers all about them.

"The good thing about Al is that he was levelheaded and compassionate," said Letson. "He was the kind of person that people could look to for help, and it's a shame what happened."

In addition to being a dedicated father and husband, Rule was one of the Emergency Call Center's founders in 1995 and served there from 1996 until 2000, said Letson.

"He was a great guy, and a good peer," said Letson. "He was very involved with his family and kids, and talked about coaching soccer and going to his kids' games."

Michael Reardon, headmaster at Pembroke Academy, remembered Rule as a dedicated soccer coach who worked well with the boy's varsity soccer team.

"He did a good job for us as a coach, and things seemed to go really well with the kids," he said. "Obviously, this is a very tragic situation. We don't know the particulars, but we are shocked and saddened by it all. We're very sorrowful."

The shooting incident took place at the bottom of the driveway at the Grigas home at 5 Sullivan Drive, said Senior Assistant Attorney Jeffery A. Strelzin. Rule, who worked as a state police dispatcher, lived a few blocks away.

"Grigas's vehicle was further up the driveway and Rule's vehicle was behind it," Strelzin. Police seized and searched both vehicles - Grigas's red Buick Lesabre and Rule's blue Ford Taurus - and removed them from the scene.

The police recovered a 9 mm handgun at the scene. Casings, projectiles and a post-mortem exam indicate the weapon was used in the shooting and, Lt. Russ Conte of the State Police Major Crimes Unit said there is reason to believe the weapon belonged to Grigas.

"Other weapons were taken from the residence, but I haven't had a chance to personally inspect them," he said. "Based on the fact that he (Grigas) owns firearms purchased locally or in the state, it's probably safe to assume that he has no felony convictions in New Hampshire."

Conte also said the confrontation between Grigas and Rule was brief.

"I can't say whether one was following the other or for how long," he said. "In my opinion, the exchange took place rapidly. Based on the evidence, it was over quickly."

The investigation has revealed that Grigas and Rule were acquainted, but officials have declined to comment as to whether there was tension between the two.

"That's part of the ongoing investigation," said Strelzin. "They weren't strangers and they clearly knew each other. We're reviewing the past 24 hours in each of their lives for more information."

Conte declined comments as to whether Grigas had a criminal history.

"I can't comment on what we're working on, and I guess the issue for the media is what's happening at the scene," he said. "What we find isn't going to change the physical evidence at the scene."

Bow Police Chief Jeff Jaran said Grigas had run into some minor problems with the law, including driving while intoxicated and a few incidents in the past.

"There were some disturbances in 2004 and 2005, but no arrests were made," he said. "It was mostly verbal disturbances, arguments, and nothing really violent."

Jaran also said although Grigas had not applied for a concealed carry permit, doing so would not have prevented him from carrying a handgun.

"You can walk into a bank with a gun on your hip and not get in trouble," he said. "If it's concealed under your clothing or in your glovebox, that's a different story."

Joseph Grigas. father said his son had been trying to sell his gun collection, which included two handguns, two rifles and a shotgun. Grigas said police recovered a weapon from the crime scene, but is unsure whether it belonged to his son. "I don't know if the gun was his or Mr. Rule's," he said. "In my heart, I know that something must have happened down there, and either way, Joey must have felt threatened. Whatever happened down there, I'm sure that we as a family could have worked our way through it."

Joseph Grigas Jr. had served two years of active duty in the U.S. Navy, and was stationed in Southern California. His father said he had returned home to work at J.W. Fleet, the family business, as a truck and heavy equipment technician, but had planned to return to the military.

"He became a corpsman because he cared about life and he wanted to help people," Grigas said. "He was at the top of every class he took. The only reason he got out was because he couldn't survive on what they were paying him."

While the answers are not forthcoming, Grigas said the family is devastated and hopes to find an answer.

"We need closure, and I'm just hoping the state police can put something together," he said. "I feel for the Rule family. Greg (Elmer Rule's son) lost his best friend and his father all at once."

Calling hours for Rule are from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 26, at Waters Funeral Home, 50 S. Main St., Concord, followed by a memorial service at 2 p.m.

Memorial donations may be made to The Al Rule Scholarship Fund, care of the New Hampshire Soccer Association, 1600 Candia Road, Suite 2, Manchester, NH 03109.