A U.S. serviceman from Florida accused of opening fire at an Illinois bowling alley and killing three people in December pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges Friday, numerous sources reported.
Duke Webb, an Army special forces sergeant, appeared in court via video from Winnebago County Jail, where he is being held on no bond, according to the Rockford Register Star. He was charged with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder.
Duke Webb, 37, is charged with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder in the Dec. 26 attack at Don Carter Lanes in Rockford.https://t.co/SSOMdHeBLX
— WTTW (Chicago PBS) (@wttw) February 19, 2021
Webb allegedly killed Thomas Furseth, 65, Jeromy Woodfork, 69, and Dennis Steinhoff, 73 at Don Carter Lanes in Rockford on Dec. 26. Prosecutors say he wounded three others, including Tyrone Lewis, 62, a 14-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl.
Rockford Police Chief Dan O’Shea previously said the attack was a “completely random act” and there were no prior meetings or any link between Webb and any of the victims. (RELATED: Special Forces Sergeant Arrested For Murders At Illinois Bowling Alley)
Police believe Webb was a lone attacker, and took him into custody shortly after the shooting. Police arrived on scene within one minute of the first calls to dispatch, O’Shea said during a news conference the day after the attack.
A 37-year-old active military member has been charged in connection with a deadly bowling alley shooting in Rockford, Illinois https://t.co/LI28sx8089 pic.twitter.com/0OJNnHVmwk
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 28, 2020
DNA samples from two handguns investigators recovered at the scene will be collected and submitted as evidence by June 21, according to the Rockford Register Star.
Elizabeth Bucko, Webb’s previous lawyer, has said that the Green Beret may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the Associated Press (AP). Bucko withdrew from the case, according to the Rockford Register Star.
Webb joined the Army in 2008 and was on leave during the shooting, according to an Army statement released after the shooting. He was deployed to Afghanistan four times, and the most recent deployment ended in July, the AP reported.