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This December 13, 2019 photo provided by the U.S. Army shows the sergeant. Duke Webb of 1st class who is currently serving as Sergeant of Operations and Assistance Intelligence for Special Forces. Webb, caught in an apparently random shooting at an Illinois bowling alley that left three people dead and three injured, had four missions in Afghanistan, the most recent having ended in July. Webb was due to appear in court on Monday, December 28, 2020, on three counts of murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder in the Don Carter Lanes shooting in Rockford, Illinois, on Saturday night. (Photo courtesy of the US Army via AP)
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This December 13, 2019 photo provided by the U.S. Army shows the sergeant. Duke Webb 1st class, who is currently serving as Special Operations and Intelligence sergeant in Special Forces. Webb, caught in an apparently random shooting at an Illinois bowling alley that left three people dead and three injured, had four missions in Afghanistan, the most recent having ended in July. Webb was due to appear in court on Monday, December 28, 2020, on three counts of murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder in the Don Carter Lanes shooting in Rockford, Illinois, on Saturday night. (Photo courtesy of the US Army via AP)
CHICAGO (AP) – A lawyer for a US Army special forces sergeant arrested in an apparently random shooting at an Illinois bowling alley that left three people dead said at an initial hearing Monday that his client could 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 joined the Army in 2008 and was on leave on Saturday. According to the Army, his first deployment to Afghanistan was from August to December 2009. His other trips 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.
Webb was taken into custody shortly after the shooting, 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.
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 three who died were all men, aged 73, 65 and 69, but the authorities did not provide names. A 14-year-old boy was shot in the face and 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. A 62-year-old man suffered several gunshot wounds and was in critical condition, the chief said.
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.
Up to 25 people were in Don Carter Lanes, but most escaped or hid, said O’Shea. He declined to say whether the shootings took place in the bar or elsewhere in the building, saying that these details would be revealed in court. The injured teenagers were collecting food in the takeaway section of the bowling alley, he said.
He said the suspect was detained without police firing.
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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.