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A US Army special forces sergeant was charged with a shooting at an Illinois bowling alley that left three dead and three wounded.
Winnebago County State Attorney J Hanley said Duke Webb, 37, was charged with three counts of murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder after the shooting at Don Carter Lanes in Rockford on Saturday. at night.
Webb was taken into custody shortly after the shooting around 7 p.m., Rockford Police Chief Dan O’Shea said at a news conference Sunday morning.
“I am very confident that the officers at the scene of the building were able to stop more violence,” O’Shea said.
He said the three who died were all men, aged 73, 65 and 69, but did not provide names.
Additionally, he said, a 14-year-old boy was shot in the face and flown to the hospital in Madison in stable condition, and a 16-year-old girl who was shot in the shoulder was treated at a hospital and released. .
A 62-year-old man underwent surgery overnight after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds and is in critical condition.
“We believe this was a completely random act, and there is no prior meeting or relationship of any kind between the suspect and any of the victims in this case,” O’Shea said. He did not provide information on what led to the shooting.
The U.S. Army said Webb is a special forces intelligence and operations assistant sergeant assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), located at Camp Bull Simons, Eglin Air Force Base. , Florida. He joined the Army in 2008 and was on leave Saturday.
“We are shocked and saddened to learn of this tragic event and our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the dead and wounded,” Colonel John Sannes, commander of the 7th Special Forces Group, said in a statement.
The bowling alley was closed at the time of the shooting, in accordance with restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, O’Shea said, but an upstairs bar was open.
The boss said the venue upstairs has double doors that open to the outside, ensuring the bar meets Illinois Covid-19 mitigation guidelines.
Up to 25 people were in Don Carter Lanes when the shooting occurred, but most escaped or went into hiding, O’Shea said.
The teens who were injured were picking up food in the take-out section of the bowling alley, he said.
He said the suspect tried to conceal his weapons before his arrest and was detained without officers firing a single shot.
Webb is an active duty military man and investigators are in contact with the US Army, O’Shea said.
The Rockford Register Star reported that 2020 has been the deadliest year on record for homicides in the city of about 170,000 residents located about 80 miles northwest of Chicago. Thirty-five people have died in the city this year, breaking the previous record of 31 in 1996.
“As we come to the end of this difficult year and look to the future, we know that this type of violence must stop,” said Mayor Tom McNamara.
“And today, with the eyes of the country on us, we must show as Rockford people how we respond to an incident like this, as a Rockford, supporting each other.”
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