Chris Kyle, record-holding sniper as Navy SEAL, killed in double slaying at Erath County gun range
Chris Kyle, a former Navy SEAL who was the U.S. military’s deadliest sharpshooter and wrote the best-selling book American Sniper, was fatally shot Saturday in a double slaying at an Erath County gun range, the U.S. Marshals Service said.
Late Saturday, Lancaster police said they had arrested a man they say matched the description of a gunman wanted in the slayings. After a brief chase, officers arrested 25-year-old Eddie Ray Routh, said Lt. Kelly Hooten, a department spokesman.
Kyle was at a charity event at the gun range at Rough Creek Lodge and Resort on behalf of his Dallas-based security firm Craft International, said Hudson Hartson, a childhood friend of Kyle’s.
Craft International often hosted law-enforcement training events at the location, which is near Glen Rose, about 50 miles southwest of Fort Worth.
Investigators said that Routh, a former Marine who sources said is believed to suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome, shot Kyle and the second victim at point-blank range. No information was available on the second victim late Saturday.
Erath County officials had issued an alert for authorities to be on the lookout for the gunman, who was believed to be armed and dangerous and driving a black Ford F-350 truck with large tires and rims.
The suspect was believed to be highly trained with military experience.
Kyle grew up in Texas and spent much of his time riding horses and participating on the school rodeo team. His life quickly changed when he decided to go into the military and became a Navy SEAL. He deployed four times to Iraq. Kyle held the record for number of kills by an American sniper. The Pentagon has confirmed more than 150 of his kills. The previous record was 109.
For his service, Kyle was awarded two Silver Stars and five Bronze Stars with Valor. His autobiography, American Sniper, was released last year.
“When I grew up, I only had two dreams,” he told The News in January 2012. “One was to be a cowboy and another was to be in the military. I grew up extremely patriotic and riding horses. I went to college and was working at a ranch up there. Sunup, sundown, I was in a saddle. By the time I was 24, I decided it was time to go into the military and try it out. It wasn’t exactly the SEALs I was looking for at the time. I just wanted to go into the military and be the best.”
Despite his military, business and writing successes, Kyle remained the same humble friend, Hartson said.
“You would think a guy like that would be cocky or would be arrogant. He’s not,” he said. “Chris is the same small-town Christian, humble guy he was in high school.”
Hartson, a former Dallas police officer, said he met Kyle at their Midlothian elementary school. He was flooded with online and text messages Saturday afternoon asking if the news of Kyle’s death was true. He said he didn’t know Routh and was stunned to hear his friend had been shot.
“Chris has never changed. He has always been the same guy,” Hartson said. “This guy still drives a pickup truck.”
Kyle told The News in 2012 that he wrote American Sniper because “I wanted to be able to let people know about the sacrifices that not only people in the service make, but what their families go through. I knew this would give me a voice so I could speak about the guys I know who were killed. I wanted to get their story out and I wanted to raise awareness for veterans.
“It is so hard becoming a civilian,” Kyle said. “When you are in the military, everything you do is for the greater good. And as a civilian, everything you do is for your own good.
“When you’re in the military, you are facing life and death every day. And then you come home and hear people who are unhappy about the little things. And you think, are you kidding me? Two weeks ago, I was shot. And this is your problem. … They train us how to become warriors, but then they don’t teach us and train us how to become businessmen.”
Kyle is survived by his wife, Taya, and two children.
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