Soldier accused of shooting Rockford may have PTSD

CHICAGO (AP) – A lawyer for a US Army special forces sergeant arrested in what authorities called an apparently random shooting at an Illinois bowling alley that left three people dead said at an initial hearing on Monday that your client may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Duke Webb, 37, faces three counts of murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder for wounding three others in the shooting at Don Carter Lanes in Rockford on Saturday night.

According to Army service information, Webb carried out four deployments in Afghanistan, the most recent of which ended in July.

His lawyer, Elizabeth Bucko, also said at the Winnebago County court hearing that Webb appeared to have problems with memory loss. She added that he will undergo mental health assessments, the Rockford Register Star reported.

The judge denied bail for Webb, which means he will remain in prison. His indictment was set for February 16.

Webb was taken into custody shortly after the shooting and without a shot from the police, Rockford Police Chief Dan O’Shea said on Sunday. The suspect has no known ties to the victims and officials “believe this was a completely random act,” said O’Shea.

At a news conference on Monday afternoon, Winnebago County Attorney J. Hanley said that Webb was in the Rockford area visiting the family. But Hanley declined to comment on the possible motives for the shooting.

Webb joined the Army in 2008 and was on leave on Saturday, the Army said.

A criminal complaint released on Monday, it says that Webb admitted the shootings shortly after the officers arrived at the scene, even showing the officers where he placed two weapons he had brought with him – a .40 caliber Glock and a .389 caliber Glock.

Hanley added on Monday that firearms did not appear to be issued by the military.

The complaint describes horrific scenes when the sniper opened fire just before 7 pm on Saturday, first targeting a group of teenagers on the first floor of a two-story building.

A bullet hit a 14-year-old girl in the shoulder and a 14-year-old boy was hit in the face. Both survived. Thomas Furseth, 65, was on the first floor and started running toward the stairs to the second-floor bar when the sniper fatally shot him in the torso, according to the complaint. He made it to the second floor before passing out.

The sniper then went up the stairs and opened fire in a bar area full of up to 25 people. Dennis Steinhoff, 73, was shot in the chest. Jerome Woodfork, 69, was also shot dead and a witness later described seeing Woodfork fall from a second-story balcony. His body was found below the porch in a parking lot.

Tyrone Lewis, 62, survived, but was listed in critical condition. He was shot while in the bar area on the thigh, back, neck, groin and buttocks.

According to the Army, Webb’s first deployment in Afghanistan was from August to December 2009. His other developments were from October 2013 to April 2014, from October 2014 to April 2015 and from January to July this year.

Webb was awarded the Bronze Star twice. Among the other awards he has compiled are the Army Medal of Good Conduct, the Global War on Terrorism Medal and the Combat Action Badge, according to the Force’s information.

The Army said Webb is an operations assistant and special forces intelligence sergeant assigned to Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. O’Shea did not explain why he was in Illinois.

The 14-year-old boy with a shot to the face was flown to a hospital in Madison, Wisconsin, in stable condition, and a 16-year-old girl who was shot in the shoulder was treated at a hospital and discharged.

Gen Brig John Brennan, commander of the 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne), said in a statement late on Sunday that Webb’s alleged actions were “shocking” and “completely out of the ordinary” with 12 years of honorable service by Webb.

Rockford is a city with about 170,000 residents about 130 kilometers northwest of Chicago.

The bowling alley was closed when the shooting took place, according to restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, said O’Shea. But an upstairs bar was open. The boss said the upstairs location has double doors that open to the outside, ensuring that the bar complies with Illinois’ COVID-19 mitigation guidelines.

Most people in Don Carter Lanes escaped or hid, said O’Shea. The injured teenagers were collecting food in the takeaway section of the bowling alley, he said.

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Associated Press writer for National Security Robert Burns in Washington, DC and AP researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York also contributed to this report.