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This December 13, 2019 photo provided by the U.S. Army shows the sergeant. 1st Class Duke Webb currently serving as Special Forces Assistance and Intelligence Sergeant. Webb, arrested for a seemingly random shooting at an Illinois bowling alley that left three people dead and three others injured, had four deployments in Afghanistan, the most recent of which ended in July. Webb was scheduled to appear in court on Monday, December 28, 2020 for three counts of homicide and three counts of first-degree murder in the shooting at Don Carter Lanes, Rockford, Island, on Saturday evening. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. military via AP)
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This December 13, 2019 photo provided by the U.S. Army shows the sergeant. 1st Class Duke Webb who currently serves as Special Forces Assistance and Intelligence Sergeant. Webb, arrested for a seemingly random shooting at an Illinois bowling alley that left three people dead and three others injured, had four deployments in Afghanistan, the most recent of which ended in July. Webb was scheduled to appear in court on Monday, December 28, 2020 for three counts of homicide and three counts of first-degree murder in the shooting at Don Carter Lanes, Rockford, Island, on Saturday evening. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. military via AP)
CHICAGO (AP) – A U.S. Army special forces sergeant arrested for a seemingly random shooting at an Illinois bowling alley that left three people dead said Monday at first glance that your client could suffer from a post-traumatic stress disorder.
Duke Webb, 37, faces three counts of murder and three counts of first-degree murder for injuring three others in the shooting at Don Carter Lanes, Rockford, on Saturday evening.
According to Army service information, Webb had four deployments in Afghanistan, the most recent once completed in July.
His lawyer, Elizabeth Bucko, also said at the hearing in a Winnebago County courtroom that Webb appeared to have memory loss problems. He added that he will undergo mental health assessments, the Rockford Register Star reported.
The judge denied bail for Webb, meaning he will remain in jail. His lawsuit was set for Feb. 16.
Webb joined the military in 2008 and was on leave on Saturday. According to the military, its first deployment in Afghanistan was from August to December 2009. Its other deployments were from October 2013 to April 2014, from October 2014 to April 2015 and from January to July this year.
Webb was twice awarded the Bronze Star. Other awards he has collected included the Army Medal for Good Conduct, the World War II Terrorism Medal, and the Combat Action Badge, according to service information.
Webb was arrested shortly after the shooting, Rockford police chief Dan O’Shea said Sunday. The suspect has no known links to the victims and authorities “believe it was a completely random act,” O’Shea said.
The military has said Webb is a special forces and intelligence sergeant assigned to the Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. O’Shea did not explain why he was in Illinois.
The three who died were men, aged 73, 65 and 69, but authorities gave no names. A 14-year-old boy was shot in the face and taken 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 released. A 62-year-old man suffered several gunshot wounds and was in critical condition, the chief said.
Major General John Brennan, commander of the first command of the special forces (airborne), said in a statement Sunday night that Webb’s alleged actions were “shocking” and “completely out of character” with twelve years of service. of Webb.
Rockford is a city of about 170,000 people about 130 miles northwest of Chicago.
The bowling alley was closed when the shooting occurred, in accordance with restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, O’Shea said. But a bar upstairs was open. The chief said the upstairs venue has double doors that open to the outside, ensuring the bar meets Illinois COVID-19 mitigation guidelines.
As many as 25 people were in Don Carter Lanes, but most escaped or hid, O’Shea said. He declined to say whether the shootings took place at the bar or anywhere else in the building, saying those details will come out in court. The injured teenagers were picking up food at the bowling department, he said.
He said the suspect was arrested without officers firing a shot.
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Associated Press national security writer Robert Burns in Washington, DC, and AP researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York also contributed to the report.