3 killed, 3 injured in Illinois bowling alley shooting; Special Forces soldier arrested

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WGN/AP) -- A U.S. serviceman from Florida has been charged in a shooting at an Illinois bowling alley that left three people dead and three wounded, authorities said Sunday.

Winnebago County State's Attorney J. Hanley said Duke Webb, 37, has been charged with three counts of murder and three counts of first-degree attempted murder in the shooting at Don Carter Lanes, in Rockford, on Saturday evening.

Webb was taken into custody shortly after the shooting at around 7 p.m., Rockford Police Chief Dan O'Shea said at a news conference Sunday morning.

He said the three who died were all men, aged 73, 65 and 69; a 14-year-old boy was shot in the face and airlifted to hospital in Madison 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 underwent surgery overnight after suffering multiple gunshot wounds and is in critical condition, the chief said. The suspect has no known ties to the victims, O'Shea said.

The bowling alley was closed at the time of the shooting, 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.

Up to 25 people were at Don Carter Lanes when the shooting happened, but most 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 tried to conceal his weapons before his arrest, and that he was apprehended without officers firing a shot. Webb is an active military man, and investigators are in touch with the U.S. Army, O'Shea said.

The Rockford Register Star reports 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, Florida. He joined the Army in 2008 and was on leave at the time of the shooting.