Florida soldier charged with shooting in Illinois

Rockford, Illinois – A US serviceman was charged with causing a shooting at an Illinois bowling alley that left three dead and three injured, authorities said Sunday.

Duke Webb, a 37-year-old soldier in Florida, was charged with three murders and three attempted murders in the shooting at Don Carter Lanes bowling alley in Rockford, 80 miles northwest of Chicago

While bowling is not allowed due to state-imposed coronavirus restrictions, he operated a bar linked to the business.

Webb was arrested around 7 p.m. shortly after opening fire, Rockford police chief Dan O’Shea said at a news conference Sunday morning.

“I assure you that the agents’ action on the ground prevented further violence,” added O’Shea.

He said the three who died were all men aged 73, 65, and 69, but they did not name them.

It added that a 14-year-old was shot in the face and flown to the hospital in Madison in stable condition. He added that a 16-year-old girl who was shot in the shoulder was treated in a hospital and released. A 62-year-old man underwent surgery at night after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds and is in critical condition, the police chief said.

According to the Rockford Register Star newspaper, 2020 was the year of the highest homicide rate in the city. 35 people have died this year, a number that surpassed the previous figure of 31 in 1996.