Police have identified the man who allegedly murdered three people in a shooting Saturday at a local bowling alley in Rockford, Illinois. He is Duke Webb, 37. Police Chief Dan O’Shea said the defendant was a Florida resident, and an active duty member of the United States military. Investigators were in touch with the Army, he said.
O’Shea told reporters in a press conference Sunday morning that the 911 center received phone calls at 6:55 p.m. on Saturday about shots fired at the Don Carter Lanes. In this account, officers arrived at the scene within a minute, heard gunshots, and located what they believed to be the suspect. It was claimed that Webb tried to obscure his identification and hide his weapons. Two handguns were recovered, O’Shea said. The chief said that surveillance cameras recorded the incident.
The chief also described, but did not name, the three people who died:
- a 73-year-old man.
- a 65-year-old man.
- a 69-year-old man.
O’Shea said the corner’s office will give positive identification “when appropriate.” Three people were also wounded:
- a 14-year-old boy, who had been shot in the face. He was airlifted to a hospital, and is in stable condition, according to the chief.
- a 16-year-old girl, who was shot in the shoulder. She was treated and released from the hospital, he said.
- a 62-year-old man was shot multiple. He was in surgery overnight, and was in critical condition, O’Shea said.
Winnebago County State’s Attorney J. Hanley said Webb is charged with three counts of murder, and three counts of attempted first-degree murder. A reporter asked O’Shea about a report of a person jumping off the balcony, but the chief declined to discuss this, citing the ongoing investigation. He did say that all of the deceased and injured victims “received gunfire.”
The alleged motive behind this remains unclear. O’Shea said officers believe this is a “completely random act.”
Online records viewed by Law&Crime show that Webb is being held without bond at the Winnebago County jail as of Sunday morning.
[Mugshot via Winnebago County Jail]