Officials on Sunday announced that an army sergeant had been charged during the shooting at the Illinois bowling alley, in which three were killed and three others were injured.
Authorities have charged Duke Webb, a 37-year-old active-duty sergeant in Shalimar’s army, Fla, with three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of first-degree murder. He is being held according to prison records in Winnebago County Jail unrelated to his first court hearing scheduled for Monday at 1:30 p.m.
Rockford, Ill., Dan O’Shea, police chief, identified Webb during a press conferenceand said officials do not believe there is a connection between the suspect and one of the victims of Saturday’s shooting.
“We believe it was a completely arbitrary act, and there is no prior meeting or any kind of relationship between the suspect and any of the victims in this case,” O’Shea said.
Webb is a special military assistant operations and intelligence sergeant assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (in the air), located at Camp Bull Simons, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., According to a Army Declaration. He joined the army in 2008 and was on leave when the shooting took place.
“We are shocked and saddened to learn of this tragic event and our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those killed and wounded,” said Col. John W. Sannes, commander of the 7th Special Forces Group (in the air), said in a statement.
The shooting took place at Don Carter Lanes, a bowling alley and bar, killing three men aged 73, 65 and 69. The suspect also wounded a 62-year-old man in critical condition, a 14-year-old boy who was transported to a Madison hospital, and a 16-year-old girl who was treated and released to local hospital.
O’Shea said officers arrived within one minute after receiving several calls from 911. The suspect was arrested minutes after police arrived without officers firing weapons.
The Rockford Register Star previously reported that this year was the deadliest year since 1965 for the city, with 35 murders. The next highest was 31 murders documented in 1996.