Don Carter Lanes shooting

Don Carter Lanes shooting
Part of mass shootings in the United States
Location
Coordinates	42.2645187°N 89.0356073°W / 42.2645187; -89.0356073 ⧼validator-fatal-error⧽
Date
Attack type	Mass shooting
Weapons	.40-caliber Glock .380-caliber Glock
Deaths	3
Non-fatal injuries	3
Motive	Unknown
Accused	Duke Webb

On December 26, 2020, three people were killed and three others injured in a mass shooting at Don Carter Lanes, a bowling alley in Rockford, Illinois, U.S. A sole suspect was arrested after the shooting and later identified as Duke Webb, who at the time was an active-duty Special Forces soldier.

Shooting

At the time of the shooting, most of the bowling alley was closed to the public due to COVID-19 safety precautions, excluding the second-floor bar and carryout service area. There were about 20 to 25 people inside the building at the time. The gunman opened fire with two Glock pistols, a .40-caliber and a .380-caliber, around the bowling alley shortly before 6:55 pm before moving inside the building, with officers arriving shortly after.

Officers were able to locate Webb shortly after arriving at the bowling alley and take him into custody, although he had taken time to attempt to conceal his identity and weapons. An eyewitness at the bowling alley helped identify Webb to responding officers, and after his arrest Webb told officers where he had hid the .40-caliber Glock and .380-caliber Glock 42 that he used in the shootings.

Victims

The three victims killed in the shooting were all men aged 65, 69, and 73. The wounded were a 14-year-old boy who was shot in the face, a 16-year-old girl shot in the shoulder, and a 62-year-old man shot multiple times. In total, there were three killed, all men in their late sixties and early seventies. Their identities were released on December 28:

• Thomas Furseth, age 65
• Jerome Woodfork, age 69
• Dennis Steinhoff, age 73

The wounded were 14-year-old Printess Wynn who was shot in the face, his 16-year-old friend Aaliyha Estrada who was shot in the shoulder, and 62-year-old Tyrone Lewis who was shot five times.

Accused

A formal military photograph of Webb

The suspect was identified as 37-year-old Duke Webb (born 1983), a resident born in Sikeston, Missouri and raised in Shalimar, Florida, who also grew up in Fort Walton Beach and Bradenton.

Shortly before Webb drove to Don Carter Lanes, Webb was visiting his family in Rockford. Right after the shootings took place there, Webb was arrested shortly after the shooting and was held without bond in the Winnebago County Jail. Webb was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder. At the time of the shooting, he was a Special Forces Assistant Operations and Intelligence Sergent first class as an engineer and parachute rigger, assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group based in Eglin Air Force Base outside Fort Walton Beach, where Webb grew up, and had joined the U.S. Army in 2008. He had served four tours of duty in Afghanistan; from August to December 2009, October 2013 to April 2014, October 2014 to April 2015 and from January 2020 to July 2020. In his service Webb had been awarded the Bronze Star twice, the Army Commendation Medal twice, and the Army Achievement Medal, along with multiple other awards. Webb was also listed as a title manager for the "All Source Investment Holdings LLC" investment company in his hometown of Shalimar.

In his first court appearance via video on December 28, Webb's attorneys acknowledged that he would be undergoing mental health evaluations and raised claims that Webb potentially suffers from PTSD. Webb reportedly also has issues with memory loss.

Aftermath

The Commander of the 7th Special Forces Group, Colonel John W. Sannes, issued a statement of condolences about the shooting and its victims, and stated that the Army and his department were coordinating with the Rockford Police Department. Sannes' comments were echoed by Major Gen. John Brennan, the commander of 1st Special Forces Command, in which he called the actions of Webb "abhorrent".

A GoFundMe was created shortly after the shooting to help the families of the victims, and the Illinois Bank & Trust and a local business, established a victims relief fund to help provide direct financial relief to victims and their families.

References

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