The U.S. Army sergeant accused of murdering three people and injuring three more in a weekend shooting at an Illinois bowling alley may have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, his lawyer said Monday.
The lawyer, Elizabeth Bucko, said in an interview that a pre-trial services report also suggested that Army Sgt. 1st Class Duke Webb, 37, also had memory loss issues.
Bucko said it wasn’t clear whether Webb, an active-duty special forces sergeant assigned to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, had self-reported the apparent cognitive problems. She added that she didn’t have proof of a diagnosis.
During a bond hearing Monday, Bucko said Webb was supposed to be evaluated for a brain injury.
Army service records released Monday showed that Webb had been to Afghanistan four times, with his most recent deployment occurring between January and July of this year. He was on leave when the shooting occurred, Bucko said.
Webb, who was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder, was denied bond after a prosecutor told the judge that Webb admitted to the shooting and turned over his weapons to authorities.
Authorities described the incident as a random act. The shooting occurred Saturday night at Don Carter Lanes, a bowling alley in Rockford, about 90 miles northwest of Chicago.
The Rockford Police Department said the fatally wounded victims include three men, ages 73, 69 and 65. A 14-year-old boy was shot in the face and was in stable condition, the department said, and a 62-year-old man was in critical condition after he was struck multiple times.
A 16-year-old girl also injured in the shooting was treated and released.
Bucko declined to comment on why Webb was in Illinois. Eglin Air Force Base is east of Pensacola, Florida.
Since joining the Army in 2008, Webb has been awarded two Bronze Stars, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Medal and the Combat Action Badge, the Army records show.
In a statement, Maj. Gen. John Brennan, commander of 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne), called Webb’s alleged actions “abhorrent” and said they weren’t representative of the Special Forces.
“The vast majority of men and women Green Berets live up to their storied reputation and earn their beret every day,” he said. “The actions described in reports are shocking and completely out of character with Webb’s 12 years of honorable service.”
Mosheh Gains contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
