Attorneys for Duke Webb, the Special Forces Sergeant charged with killing three and wounding two others in a shooting at an Illinois bowling alley told a judge that he may suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and also has memory loss.
Elizabeth Bucko, Webb’s lawyer, said in a Winnebago County courtroom hearing that he suffers from what appears to be PTSD and memory loss. Webb is slated to go through further mental evaluations. The judge denied him bail; his arraignment is scheduled for February 16.
The criminal complaint filed in court against Webb provided more details about the shooting incident. Yet, it still doesn’t answer the most important question for investigators, which is why Webb committed the shootings. The complaint also identified Thomas Furseth, 65, Dennis Steinhoff, 73, and Jerome Woodfork, 69, as the three men that Webb has been accused of killing with two handguns.
According to the official complaint, Rockford police officers were alerted to an active shooter incident shortly before 7 p.m. the evening of December 26th. When they arrived at the scene, a witness identified Webb as the shooter. The entire incident was captured on a video surveillance camera. A witness-recorded video of the incident had initially been posted on the website of the Rockford Scanner but has since been removed.
Webb supposedly admitted to the shooting. After initially trying to hide his weapons, he then directed the police to their location. The weapons were a Glock .40 caliber and Glock .380. Shell casings from a .40 and .380 calibers littered the scene.
According to the complaint, Webb allegedly entered the bowling alley from the first floor, which is closed due to COVID-19 but is open for serving food. There, he first targeted two teenagers who were eating.
The 14-year old girl was sitting with three other teens when Webb allegedly opened fire at her table, hitting her in the shoulder. The other victim, a 16-year old boy, was shot in the face and is still in critical condition.
One of the victims, Thomas Furseth, was also on the first floor when the shooting started. He tried running toward the stairs when he was mortally shot in the torso. He made it up the stairs before collapsing and dying.
Webb then allegedly went upstairs into the bar area, where about 20-25 people were located, and opened fire. The second male victim, Steinhoff, was fatally shot in the torso. He was found on the balcony. Woodfork had also been on the second floor when the shooting began, and after being shot he fell from the balcony into the parking lot below.
Tyrone Lewis, 62, survived the shooting but was listed in critical condition. He was shot several times in the thigh, back, neck, groin, and buttocks.
Webb began his Special Forces career as an 18C Engineer Sergeant before moving to his current MOS of 18F Assistant Operations and Intelligence Sergeant. He deployed to Afghanistan four times in a period from August 2009 to July 2020, according to the Army.
Webb was twice awarded the Bronze Star. Among his other awards are the Global War on Terrorism Medal and the Combat Infantry Badge. He was on authorized leave and was reportedly in the area visiting his father.
Police have said that there was no relationship between Webb and any of the victims and that the incident was completely random.
Have information about Duke Webb, his service or the events in question? Send us a secure tip at [email protected].
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