Page 1 of 1 [ 3 posts ] 

ASPartOfMe
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 25 Aug 2013
Age: 68
Gender: Male
Posts: 39,637
Location: Long Island, New York

28 Dec 2020, 5:38 pm

Soldier charged in Rockford shooting may have PTSD

Quote:
An attorney for a U.S. Army special forces sergeant arrested in what authorities called an apparently random shooting at an Illinois bowling alley that left three people dead told an initial hearing on Monday that her client may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Duke Webb, 37, faces three counts of murder and three counts of first-degree attempted murder for injuring three other people in the shooting at Don Carter Lanes, in Rockford, on Saturday evening.

According to Army service information, Webb had four deployments to Afghanistan, the most recent once ending in July.

His lawyer, Elizabeth Bucko, also told the hearing in a Winnebago County courtroom that Webb appeared to have issues with memory loss. She added that he will undergo mental health evaluations, the Rockford Register Star reported.

The judge denied bond for Webb, meaning he will remain jailed. His arraignment was set for Feb. 16.

Webb joined the Army in 2008 and was on leave Saturday. According to the Army, his first

Webb was taken into custody shortly after the shooting, Rockford Police Chief Dan O’Shea said Sunday. The suspect has no known ties to the victims and authorities “believe this was a completely random act,” O’Shea said.

A criminal complaint released Monday says Webb admitted to the shootings shortly after officers arrived on the scene, even showing officers where he’d placed two guns he had brought with him — a Glock .40 caliber and a Glock .389 caliber.

The complaint describes horrific scenes as the gunman opened fire just before 7 p.m. Saturday, first targeting a group of teenagers on the first floor of the two-story building.

A bullet ripped through the shoulder of a 14-year-girl, and a 14-year-old boy was hit in the face. Both survived. Thomas Furseth, 65, was on the first floor and began running toward the stairs to the second-floor bar when the gunman fatally shot him in the torso, according to the complaint. He managed to get to the second floor before collapsing.

The gunman then went up the stairs himself and opened fire in a bar area filled with up to 25 people. Dennis Steinhoff, 73, was fatally shot in the torso. Jerome Woodfork, 69, also was fatally shot and a witness later said they saw him falling from a second-floor balcony. His body was found below the balcony in a parking lot.

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

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

The Army has said Webb is a special forces assistant operations and 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 shot in the face was airlifted 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.

The bowling alley was closed when the shooting happened, 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 is in compliance with Illinois’ COVID-19 mitigation guidance.

Most of the people at Don Carter Lanes escaped or hid, O’Shea said. The teens who were wounded were picking up food at the carryout section of the bowling alley, he said.

He said the suspect was apprehended without officers firing a shot.


_________________
“Self Acceptance is a process not a performance”
“You are autistic enough. And you always have been”

Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity.


Last edited by ASPartOfMe on 28 Dec 2020, 7:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

kraftiekortie
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 4 Feb 2014
Gender: Male
Posts: 87,510
Location: Queens, NYC

28 Dec 2020, 5:50 pm

Don Carter was one of the best bowlers of all time....

This guy doesn't deserve the name of "Duke." He's "mud" now!

Having PTSD doesn't justify he doing what he did.

It's good to know the motivations of these sorts of folks----but I'm on the fence about whether these motivations should be publicized.



Bravo5150
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 12 Aug 2019
Age: 46
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,669

28 Dec 2020, 6:13 pm

I don't know whether to feel relieved or paranoid since the guy who did this was stationed sort of down the street from me but did this in another state.