Green Beret charged with murder in Illinois bowling alley shooting
The suspect in a deadly shooting Saturday night at an Illinois bowling alley is a Green Beret. Duke Webb, a 37-year-old Florida resident, allegedly killed three people and wounded three others at Don Carter Lanes in Rockford, Illinois.
He's been charged with three counts of first degree murder and three counts of attempted first degree murder, police announced Sunday.
Webb is being held at the Winnebago County Jail without bond, police said at a Sunday press conference.
His commander, Maj. Gen. John Brennan, with the 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne), issued a statement saying: "The alleged actions of Sgt. 1st Class Duke Webb are abhorrent and are absolutely not representative of the Special Forces Regiment. ... The actions described in reports are shocking and completely out of character with Webb's 12 years of honorable service. The Rockford Police Department has our complete cooperation. Our heavy hearts and prayers are with the families affected."
According to the Army, Webb is a Special Forces assistant operations and intelligence sergeant assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), at Camp Bull Simons at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. He joined the Army in 2008 and was on leave when the shooting took place Saturday.
The Army said it will provide assistance in the investigation.
Rockford Police Chief Dan O'Shea said the three people killed were a 73-year-old man, a 69-year-old man and a 65-year-old man. Two of those wounded were teenagers, O'Shea said. A 14-year-old boy was shot in the face and airlifted to a hospital in Madison, Wisconsin, where he is now in stable condition. A 16-year-old girl was shot in the shoulder and taken to a local hospital and later released after being treated for the wound. A 62-year-old man was also wounded and is in critical condition.
O'Shea said the shooting is believed to be a random act and "there is no prior meeting or any kind of relationship between the suspect and any of the victims in this case."
According to O'Shea, Webb was taken into custody without incident, although he allegedly tried to hide his weapons and obscure his identification. O'Shea also indicated most of the shooting was caught on surveillance cameras inside the building.
The bowling alley itself was closed due to the state's COVID-19 lockdown; however, a bar located above it was open, which is allowed under the current restrictions. The two teenagers were there to pick up food for a takeout order, O'Shea said.
"The Don Carter Lanes family and the entire bowling community is in shock by this act of pure evil," said bowling alley owner Brand Sommer, CBS affiliate WIFR-TV reports. "Our collective prayers go out to the families of the victims. God please help them all. So sad for one sick person to cause so many misery. We are grateful for the fast and professional actions of the law enforcement agencies that prevented further loss of life by apprehending the shooter so quickly."
