Iraq vet Eddie Ray Routh, 25, charged in murder of ex-Navy SEAL Chris Kyle and a friend

This photo provided by the Erath County Sheriff's Office shows Eddie Ray Routh. He was charged with murder in connection with a shooting at a central Texas gun range that killed former Navy SEAL and "American Sniper" author Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield, the Texas Department of Public Safety said Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. / AP Photo/ Erath County Sheriff's Office

STEPHENVILLE, Texas A 25-year-old Iraq war veteran charged with murdering former Navy SEAL and "American Sniper" author Chris Kyle and his friend turned his gun onto the pair while they were at a Texas shooting range, authorities said Sunday.

Eddie Ray Routh of Lancaster was arraigned early Sunday on two counts of capital murder in the deaths of Kyle, 38, and Chad Littlefield, 35, at the shooting range about 50 miles southwest of Fort Worth.

In this April 6, 2012, photo, former Navy SEAL and author of the book "American Sniper," Chris Kyle, poses in Midlothian, Texas.

/ AP Photo/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Paul Moseley

Capt. Jason Upshaw with the Erath County Sheriff's Office said Routh used a semi-automatic handgun, which authorities later found at his home. Upshaw said ballistics tests weren't complete Sunday, but authorities believe the gun was used in the shootings. Upshaw declined to give any more details about the gun.

Routh has not made any comments indicating what his motive may have been, Upshaw said. Sheriff Tommy Bryant said Routh was unemployed and "may have been suffering from some type of mental illness from being in the military himself," but he didn't know if Routh was on any medication.

"I don't know that we'll ever know. He's the only one that knows that," Upshaw said.

The U.S. military confirmed Sunday that Routh was a corporal in the Marines, serving in active duty from 2006 to 2010. He was deployed to Iraq in 2007 and Haiti in 2010. His current duty status is listed as reserve.

• Ex-Navy SEAL Chris Kyle murdered in Texas

Routh is being held on $3 million bond. Authorities did not know whether Routh had a lawyer yet.

Kyle, a decorated veteran, wrote the best-selling book, "American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History," detailing his 150-plus kills of insurgents from 1999 to 2009. Kyle said in his book that Iraqi insurgents had put a bounty on his head. According to promotional information from book publisher William Morrow, Kyle deployed to Iraq four times.

Travis Cox, the director of a nonprofit Kyle helped found, told the Associated Press on Sunday that Kyle and Littlefield had taken Routh to the range. Littlefield was Kyle's neighbor and "workout buddy," Cox said.

"What I know is Chris and a gentleman -- great guy, I knew him well, Chad Littlefield -- took a veteran out shooting who was struggling with PTSD to try to assist him, try to help him, try to, you know, give him a helping hand and he turned the gun on both of them, killing them," Cox said.

Kyle's nonprofit, FITCO Cares, provides at-home fitness equipment for emotionally and physically wounded veterans.

"Chris was literally the type of guy if you were a veteran and needed help he'd help you," Cox said. "And from my understanding that's what happened here. I don't know how he came in contact with this gentleman, but I do know that it was not through the foundation."

Cox described Littlefield as a gentle, kind-hearted man who often called or emailed him with ideas for events or fundraisers to help veterans. He said he was married and had children.

"It was just two great guys with Chad and Chris trying to help out a veteran in need and making time out of their day to help him. And to give him a hand. And unfortunately this thing happened," Cox said.

Chris Kyle and his wife, Taya, in an undated image from the "American Sniper" Facebook page

/ "American Sniper" Facebook page

Jason Kos, a friend of Kyle's with whom he founded the fitness charity, also commended Kyle for always helping fellow veterans.

"For him to lose his life helping another veteran is literally unbelievable, tragic," Kos told CBS Radio's Sharon Mittelman.

Bryant seemed to confirm that scenario. The sheriff said Routh's mother "may have reached out to Mr. Kyle to try to help her son."

Bryant said the trio went to the shooting range around 3:15 p.m. Saturday. A hunting guide came across the bodies of Kyle and Littlefield around 5 p.m. and called 911.

Upshaw said autopsies were still pending and he could not say how many times the men were shot or where on their bodies they were hit.

After the shootings, Routh left the shooting range in Kyle's black pickup truck, Bryant said, first going to his sister's home in Midlothian, where he told her and her husband what he had done. The couple called local police.

Routh arrived at his home in Lancaster, about 17 miles southeast of Dallas, at about 8 p.m. Police arrested him after a brief pursuit and took him to the Lancaster Police Department.

A knock on the door at Routh's last known address went unanswered Sunday. A for-sale sign was in front of the small, wood-framed home.

Craft International, Kyle's security training company, had scheduled a $2,950-per-person civilian training event at Rough Creek Lodge called the "Rough Creek Shoot Out!" for March 1-3. The price included lodging, meals and shooting instruction. Kyle was scheduled to teach the first class, called "precision rifle."

Kyle is survived by his wife, Taya, and their two children, Cox said.

[wantahearthetruth]

http://www.heedinggodscall.org/content/pfctoolkit-10
30,000 deaths from guns every year/ 283,000,000 people owning guns= 0.00010600707, which roughly translates into .01%. This .01% represents a reasonable assumption that only .01% of people who own guns actually use them to kill. I think that is what leftoversausage was going for, but please correct me if I am wrong.

[CBSNancy]

a country awash in conflict, differing cultural gangs unwilling to become americans, media scions making billions from the peoples desire to assert 'something' (in case they be forgotten amidst the noise), news 'by Google, for Google and of Google' dispensing each newsworthy 'event' as if it really mattered, and a political force seeking to exacerbate the peoples vulnerability by keeping people 'up in arms', so they can pretend to 'parent us' as if we were children or sheep to be tended to.

the ones living on 'easy street', with resources galore and with no limit to their casual distaste for 'things violente', need not fear, as they will be the first to be guillotined and will feel no pain as the chaos commences after their useful death.
'

[TellaTruth]

I'm a woman who has been researching wars and the soldiers that fight them, since childhood.I have done veteran outreach in my community and I have even volunteered at my local VA hospital.Odds are that guy you looked at in discuss because he asked for change is one of the reasons we still have a free country.As a military buff I enjoyed watching "Stars Earn Stripes",which was when I was first introduced to Mr Chris Kyle.The way he gave such positive re-enforcement to the celebrities that he trained, showed me he had positive energy and was a stand up guy.This issue is not about "gun control".There have been soldiers as long as their have been wars.No one ever comes back the same.How many Vietnam vets came back home in one piece or at least alive,only to die of a heroine overdose once back stateside.PTSD is the real issue.Do some serious research people because the stats are there.It is now a known fact more soldiers have committed suicide after coming back home from Afghanistan,than were killed it the war it's self.Don't blame the gun laws, blame the government that uses and chews these kids for their own agenda and then spits them out,and then leaves them and their families to pick up the pieces.They created killing machines that murdered many innocents and left them to deal with their nightmares and flashbacks,all while trying to adapt back to civilian,with little or no help from professionally trained psychological experts.Don't hate the the Player, hate the Game.

[RDTenn]

Regardless if the crime was justified or not, it's somehow like the old saying goes live by the gun die by the gun.

[nohater]

never heard of that saying using gun, sword yes but gun no.

[KansasCity-2012]

Number one rule about safety with friends....you don't ever take an emotionally or mentally unhealthy person to a deadly environment.

Don't take them flying

Don't take them shooting

Don't take them boating

Don't take them underwater for scuba

[winsonsinguy]

Very well said. Thank you

[leftoversausage]

I don't like the idea of stopping depressed people or people with developmental disorders like Autism from owning guns. 99.99% are non-violent and will never harm anyone, why should we take away their right to defend themselves and/or own a gun for sport? It seems terribly unfair.

[leftoversausage]

I would also just like to add that most disorders out theredo not cause any inherent violence in an individual. It is the isolation an individual feels from society that causes them to feel less empathy toward their fellow man.

[MIO42]

So it's OK anytime I can't deal with life's little heartaches to go out get drunk,kill some young innocent family
Because I have rights to drink and carry a gun or whatever I dream up
CUZZ ITS MY RIGHT

amazes me how many actually believe this crap,truly amazing

[winsonsinguy]

Illustrates that even good guys snap and become bad guys right? Sounds like every gun owner needs to be mentally evaluated periodically because this proves good people can become mentally ill and can commit horrible things.

Sure owning a gun is a right. But if you are nuts, crazy, psychopathic, bipolar, severally depressed or otherwise mentally incapable of clear and sound judgement there is no logical reason why gun ownership rights should be granted. Anything less is putting the general pubic in harms way.

[Woodworkerwaynew]

"rights should be granted"

You might want to re-phrase that..........OR

You don't grasp the definition of "rights".

The govt does NOT "grant" rights. Those would be priviledges (like driving, for example)

Mental defect may be a reason for society to require an individual to forfeit a right..........

[winsonsinguy]

How can I put this any other way.... "mentally incapable of clear and sound judgement"!!!

Let me rephrase good people can and do snap "period". The only possible way we can preemptively stop any such horrors is to screen for them. Like any illness, you want to catch it early before its too late.

We will never stop criminals from obtaining guns illegally. Never! But we can help those law abiding gun owners from committing crimes and becoming criminals. If they are identified and treated for their mental illness before something tragic happens.

Anybody can develop a mental illness, its not a choice!
Currently our health system waits for individuals to pop up in the system before anything is ever done, if anything.

One logical and simple solution is to screen folks in gun ownership community of their individual mental health.

The other component that would be necessary is that for people who have a history of mental illness or an individual that wishes to purchase a firearm would need a pre-purchase mental illness screening.

This does not infringe on anybody's 2nd amendment rights. It would only serve to help identify and treat the James Eagan Holmes, Seung-Hui Cho and Adam Lanza of our society before they they act.

[vissionquest]

Sorry --both sides arguing here have missed the point. There are incidences that can be used in the debate on gun-control but this was not it Both victim and criminal served their country, they were knowledgeable about guns and they were at a shooting range. There is no part of this crime that would have been prevented by any proposed control. And there is no liberal/conservative basic problem here, both sides respect veterans and want to help those that served. This is not a story to try and score points for your political team --no one wins here-this is a tragedy. I am as equally embarrassed by fellow liberal posts here as with conservative posts. What we have is two families devastated by mental illness

[Woodworkerwaynew]

Well put

[leftoversausage]

I'm glad to see there are still people out there that don't always have an agenda and a point to prove. Thank you for seeing things objectively. I'm very tired of knee jerk reactions from people.

[ojossogood]

No matter if he was a SEAL, he was a human being that was trying to help another human being with his friend who also perished. His wife and two children do not have a father now! So very SAD.

RIP Mr. Kyle. Eternal gratitude to you for trying to help someone in difficult times.

[aintfakin]

bushhoneynut says:
so a bad guy with a gun killed a good guy with a gun? seems like the NRA got it wrong once again..
reply

Truthsayer221 replies:
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Words out of your toothless mouth, backed by your manure filled cranium. Nothing to support your claim. Have you served our country? I doubt it.
-----------------------------------------
hmmmm
ok
this looks pretty simple
are you saying Kyle wasn't a good guy? And that the guy who shot him wasn't a bad guy?
you must also be saying that silly french boy didnt say that good guys with guns will stop bad guys with guns?
and as for your little diversionary aspersion about serving your country, what about that silly little french boy?