Army sergeant charged in Illinois shooting that left three dead at bowling alley
A US army sergeant has been charged in the deaths of three people and the wounding of three more in a shooting at an Illinois bowling alley, authorities said Sunday.
Winnebago county state’s attorney J Hanley said Duke Webb, 37, an army special forces sergeant based in Florida, has been charged with three counts of murder and three counts of first-degree attempted murder in the shooting at Don Carter Lanes, in Rockford, Illinois, late Saturday.
Webb, who was on leave when the shootings occurred, was taken into custody shortly after the shooting, Police Chief Dan O’Shea said at a news conference Sunday morning.
O’Shea said the three who died were all men, aged 73, 65 and 69. He did not provide names.
Additionally, a 14-year-old boy was shot in the face and airlifted to hospital; a 16-year-old girl was shot in the shoulder; and a 62-year-old man suffered multiple gunshot wounds and is in critical condition, the chief said. Rockford is about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northwest of Chicago.
Rockford mayor Tom McNamara released a statement saying he was “angered and saddened” by the shooting.
“My thoughts are with the families of those who lost loved ones,” McNamara said. “I’m also thinking of those who were injured and my hopes are with them for a quick and full recovery.”
The US Army said Webb was a special forces assistant operations and intelligence 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.
“We are shocked and saddened to learn about this tragic event and our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those killed and wounded,” Col. John W Sannes, commander of 7th special forces group, said in a statement.
The Rockford Register Star reported that 2020 has been the city’s deadliest year for homicides, according to records that date back to 1965. Thirtyfive people have been killed in the city this year, breaking the previous record of 31 in 1996.