Army sergeant charged in Illinois bowling alley shooting that killed three

An Army sergeant was charged in this weekend’s Illinois bowling alley shooting that left three dead and another three wounded, officials announced Sunday. 

Authorities charged Duke Webb, a 37-year-old active Army sergeant from Shalimar, Fla., with three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder. He is being held in the Winnebago County jail without bond with his first court hearing scheduled for Monday at 1:30 p.m., according to jail records. 

Rockford, Ill., Police Chief Dan O’Shea identified Webb during a press conference, saying officials did not believe there was a connection between the suspect and any of the victims of Saturday’s shooting. 

“We believe this was a completely random 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 forces assistant operations and intelligence sergeant assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), located at Camp Bull Simons, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., according to an Army statement. He joined the Army in 2008 and was on leave when the shooting took place.

“We are shocked and saddened to learn about this tragic event and our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those killed and wounded,” Col. John W. Sannes, commander of 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), said in a statement.

The shooting occurred at Don Carter Lanes, a bowling alley and bar, and left three men aged 73, 65 and 69 dead. The suspect also wounded a 62-year-old man, who is in critical condition; a 14-year-old boy, who was airlifted to a Madison hospital; and a 16-year-old girl, who was treated and released from a local hospital.

O’Shea said officers arrived within one minute after receiving multiple 911 calls. The suspect was taken into custody several minutes after police arrived without any officers firing weapons. 

The Rockford Register Star previously reported that this year has been the deadliest year for the city since 1965, with 35 homicides. The next highest was 31 homicides documented in 1996.