Texas man arraigned on murder charges in shooting of "American Sniper"

People always want to blame the gun at a time like this and not the shooter. Even Chris Kyle recognized that the weapon is only a tool.

RIP to Chris Kyle, a real hero.

Very sorry to hear this,my heart goes out to his family. RIP Chris Kyle, a true American hero.

Let us invent a 3D printer to make low cost mini atomic case bomb, and sell them to those who want to protect their family from tyranny county/state/federal government. Anyway 2nd Amendment didnt prohib it. How about that, Joe.
Some people just can’t distinguish the difference between , say a life , and a gun. They never grow up.

Story is short on detail RE the shooter, why? What happened? Did someone intentionally go after him? Was it because of who he was (like someone going after Billy the Kid), did the shooter take his weapons? Was it a “person of middle eastern descent” coming for revenge? Was it because of his statement about the gun debate? He was a soldier with tons of training, and he was armed so what happened I ask again, how did this happen!

Too bad he didn’t have a gun, maybe then he could have defended himself.

So glad to see him go, and I find it fitting that he was given a taste of his own medicine. He killed 160 people in cold blood, legally. That is just not my kind of America.

America is nuts.

Live by the sword, die by the sword. I have as much sympathy for him as he had for the people he shot.

The man was a veteran who risked his life defending the very freedoms some commentors take for granted and they are rejoicing in his murder. what utter inhumanity. Shame on you people.

A sad story. Guns just make it so easy to for angry people to kill. Minimal planning required, minimal effort needed, and it’s cheap and efficient. We are ALL less safe because of these people’s unhealthy obsession. These things are tools of death: if you want them to be legal and accessible everywhere, there will be a lot of killing, accidental and intentional. Well-thought out regulation is needed to keep these weapons out of the hands of the wrong people. It won’t be easy but it is the main part of the solution to fewer innocent people losing their lives because of people shooting at other people for the wrong reasons.

Sad country.

DavidinWY asks questions that you would think the author would/should have asked themselves before this empty article came out. Kyle was shot about 330Pm yesterday and though there isn’t a lot of specific details it is known that the suspect, identified as Eddie Routh, 25, was arrested in Lancaster, Texas, after a brief police chase. It seems like DavidinWY should be the reporter here rather than whoever wrote this snippet for Reuters.

America did lose a hero, thats for sure, and for those of you that have posted rude comments about the man, it just goes to show how poorly educated you are, while running your mouth. A man that provides cover for others and has 160 kills isn’t a mindless killing machine, he undoubtedly protected thousands of his fellow troops in his service to this country. As for America, we are not perfect, but we are ready to bail you folks out again when you need it……RIP Chris Kyle, you will be missed!

Don’t be quick to judge him or what he has done, specially if you know nothing about him, people are saying things like “karma” “what goes around comes around” and stuff like that, I guess people will judge you as quick as you did today

I raed the book, and thought it was a mistake to be so obvious about his identity.

My first thought would be, the shooter is a muslim.

Probably shot by someone who wanted to brag about “being faster” or some such nonsense. Snipers used to be silent killers. Now, they write books and become famous–and have to look over their shoulders for the rest of their lives.

It seems ignorance is breeding. There is a thing called Google, where one can search for stories by typing ” newspaper” and get the story of what is occurring. Such is the case with this story. Google will not bite you if you use it, you know…

The shooter was a fellow veteran, suffering PTSD from Afghanistan, and the two individuals shot knew the shooter and what he was suffering from. They were both shot in the back by surprise. Probably the shooter had a flashback and snapped.

RIP Soldier and THANKS for your service.

It is sad that some commenters have chosen to denigrate the memory of a true American Hero. It’s unfortunate that the world needs people like Chris Kyle, but the reality is Kyle, and people like him, ARE necessary. The irony is that Kyle has put his life on the line, allowing citizens to practice their First Amendment rights, even when they’re spewing venomous invective, urinating all over his gravestone. It is certainly your right to rail against this man and his methods, but to do so while enjoying the blanket of security with which his methods provide is distasteful. Feel free to LEAVE and live somewhere else where you don’t have the freedoms we enjoy, where you’d be hunted down for your criticisms. Then, maybe you’d show a little respect.

Writing a book about his kills probably wasn’t a wise idea, but he was certainly a real hero. Rest in peace, soldier.

Okay clowns, carry on.

I feel that you dont understand the fact that this man was under command by our president and the cheif officials within the pentagon to take life. He was inlisted in the armed service in a war time situation he was ordered to take out targets if he would have refused he would have been held accountable in a military tribunal. He served his country and took out threats as ordered by his commander and chief. He was a hero and all of you being synical and critical of his death need to understand that you would not even have free speech without generations of heros like him. your fathers, grandfathers, great grandfathers fought to preserve your rights. Yet you persecute him for carrying out his orders…wow I cant believe how blind some people in this nation are..amazing how far we have fallen from the glory of what we once were… I am ashamed by some of the statements you supposed americans have made about a war hero and military asset I greive for his family to see what you have done to besmurch his name.
You people are not patriots and are a threat to the future of this nation. RIP american hero.

A true american hero and asset to the us.

So according to the NRA, the solution to gun violence is more ‘trained’ people with guns on every corner and in every building. Why was an entire gun range full of ‘trained’ people with guns unable to stop someone with a gun from killing a highly ‘trained’ person with a gun?

He was a true American hero!! My heart goes out to his family and friends!!

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” -Galatians 6:7-8
“He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.” -Rev.13:10

One of the Ten Commandments says, “You shall not murder,” but Jesus (peace be upon him) said don’t even stay angry or hold a grudge against another person! If we even think about revenge, we are already guilty of a sin. We should try to be on good terms with everyone. The Old Testament law was “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” In other words, if someone was injured, the person who caused the injury should be injured in the same way. But Jesus said we should not try to get even at all! Holding a grudge can consume us with hatred, blocking out all enjoyment of life. A grudge clouds our judgment and may lead us to an act of revenge that can never be undone. Jesus said we should even love our enemies! Just as God loves all His children, both the good and the bad, we must show kindness and respect even to those people who want to do us harm. Putting aside fears, prejudices, resentments and hatreds and showing Christian love and compassion for all people is the mark of true children of God. Anger, hatred, harsh words, retaliation and revenge only result in more of the same. Only love can conquer evil (Romans 12:17-21).
WHAT IS THE GOLDEN RULE?
In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you… (Matthew 7:12)
This “Golden Rule” is often stated as, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This simple rule is a good summary of all Jesus said about how to treat other people. We should do acts of kindness for other people in the same way we would like to have acts of kindness done for us. Also, we should not do or say anything to another person that we would not want someone to do or say to us.
Jesus said we should not criticize or find fault with other people. We do not have any right to condemn another person as a “sinner” because we are all sinners in one way or another (Proverbs 20:9, Ecclesiastes 7:20, Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8-10).
Jesus often stated the Golden Rule in another way, “Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself” (Matthew 22:39-40, Mark 12:31, Luke 10:25-28).

I thought we had come a long way from the Vietnam days when hippies were calling our troops baby killers. Unfortunately we still have that sort of ugliness.

If he had as much brains as he had brawn and chutzpa he wouldn’t have taken a former Marine with PTSD to a firing range and put a weapon in his hands.

They should have never removed “Gun Safe Zone” signs on the gun
playground and had LEO protecting those kids.

Now will the NRA pay for the national database full of gun owners ?

How many of the 160 people were innocent victims and were brutally murdered?

What kind of friend would take a person with PTSD to a shooting range? Rest in peace Kyle and neighbor!

This is terrible! At least the guy died doing what he loved to do! I wonder if armed guards were allowed at this shooting range. If so, those shooting wouldn’t have to worry about any surprise attack! This shooting was unusual because most shootings usually happen in gun-free zones. I already see on the internet that a lot of people think that guy obama and the most evil government in the history of humanity was behind getting this guy killed in order to keep everyone talking about gun control! There is even talk that the shooter is secretly a Muslim! It’s just too bad that there weren’t more people at the gun range who could have prevented this from happening because “Only a good guy with a gun can stop a bad guy with a gun”! America can learn a lot from this shooting! If a Navy Seal with this much experience got taken down by surprise it just shows us how much training we better give our armed teachers! It’s just so sad how that guy obama and his evil government have forced this whole country to become a shooting range!

And the Bible says, “Then said Jesus unto him, ’Put up again thy sword into its place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.’”

No doubt the perp will get the death penalty, carried out quickly in a Texas tradition.

I’m still not convinced corporations are people though, because Texas hasn’t executed one yet.

Is it just me, or does the accompanying photo need to show some dead butterflies pinned to the wall next to him?

Kyle and his friend were both shot in the back by someone they presumably trusted. Of course this won’t stop people from dancing from atop their graves proclaiming the evils of guns.

anybody sane can go insane, whether they already have a gun or not. Think.

Well, so much for the often espoused theory that if more people had guns then these tragedies wouldn’t take place. What place has more people with guns than a shooting range?

Only a genuine fool would buy into the argument that more guns mean less gun violence. It’s not rocket science to recognize the relationship between the US having the most guns and gun owners and the US having the most gun violence among all the developed nation by far. The more guns you have, the more gun violence will occur. There are just too many idiots who have easy access to guns. You can’t depend on people thinking rationally. Someone who wants to gun people down aren’t going to hold back because someone else might be carrying a gun. They’ll just get a bigger gun. Or more guns. Or convinced themselves that they’re a better shot, that they have a quicker draw, or perhaps wear bullet-proof gear, like the gunman in Aurora.

Gun owners have been brainwashed into believing that they must vehemently oppose ANY sort of gun regulations, even though regulations are needed, and supported by the majority of rational Americans. They were fed this steady diet of crap from the NRA and the Republican Party. We HAVE to be governed by rational intelligence and not irrational fears and propaganda.

Great. Now we’ll have to post armed guards at schools AND gun ranges.

If I understand correctly, the murdered men were at a gun range helping a guy with post-traumatic stress syndrome….who thinks it’s a good idea to take a guy with post-traumatic stress syndrome to a gun range and give him a gun?

@flashrooster And only a genuine fool would try to debunk an argument based on a single incident. Can you provide statistical evidence to support your claim or do we all have to assume your “it isn’t rocket science” argument is valid?

bates148: What makes you think I was trying to debunk an argument on a single incident. I didn’t say that. But I agree with you. Statistics are useful in debunking that stupid argument that more guns equal less gun violence. That’s no problem:

Read Prof. David Hemenway’s first comment carefully:
http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2012/12/looking-for-lessons-in-newtown/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/20/us-guns-statistics-outlier_n_2331892.html

http://www.americanbar.org/groups/committees/gun_violence/resources/the_u_s_compared_to_other_nations.html

http://visual.ly/gun-violence-america

“Routh, described in local media reports as a former Marine who suffered from post traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD), was arrested at his Lancaster, Texas home several hours after the shooting, having led police on a chase in his pickup truck.” One wonders if gun registry could have deterred this?

I would not want to face Jesus having 160 kills. Good luck.

Hey momonator, do you think your Jesus wept when Hitler died, or when Saddam Hussein, OBL and Kadafi died? Did you personally know all the 160 people he killed? Maybe you really wish that all of us Americas were speaking German, Japanese or Farsi right now.

Irony+Tragedy! I was in the Army in Germany 1975 driving a truck just exactly like the movie buffalo soldiers with Phoenix and anna paquin! The stress factor cannot be ignored and having just finished reading Blackhearts about the soldiers who raped a 14 year old civilian girl and slaughtering ther rest of her family feel for this man! The mistakes that are made leading to the bombs going off are many and varied! What this particular individual did was horrendous!

I just finished all the comments and am shocked at the people calling the dead sniper names! WHAT is your malfunction people??? U R Broken shadows of human beings in my mind! Unreal! Thank you.

Our warmongering leaders tell us that the world is more dangerous than ever to legitimatize the greatest standing army in the world, and use it liberally for ‘non-wars’. Thousands of our young people trained in violence and sent around the world to deliver it, some losing their lives or limbs, more so losing their peace of mind; more enemies created around the world on a daily basis than killed. Ruthless, unjustified, war, murder, violence, and torture, day-in and day-out, for cheap oil and economic advantage in general, for revenge, for thrills and entertainment, and yet Americans are surprised when it comes home to roost?

This is the main reason why I oppose stricter gun laws in the US. What goes around comes around!

WARMONGERING! GUNS EVERYWHERE! CHAOS! PANIC! Your all really stupid. Things happen. The overall rate of murder EVERYWHERE is going down. There are places where its rising but not most. So stop acting like we are descending into the dark ages everyday.
Secondly. Every country is totally different and laws that will fly in Britain won’t fly in Germany. Laws that function well in Azerbaijan might not have the best placement in a Russian province. The point is. America is full of very complicated people. The states have very different attitudes and some states deserve gun control more than others. There are also states that have their very identity described by the guns they wield. You remember we have had a civil war before? The cause behind that can be debated until the end of time. Yet I would wager that you could bring it down to both sides not listening to each other. Slaves are immoral and it’s hard to have a legitimate conversation about the time period. If compared to guns though you do have the same style of the country abhorring it on one side and NEEDING it on the other. That’s a bad recipe folks. I suggest you stop being so absolute with each other. Gun owners need to trust the conversation to steer in a centralized point they can agree on. With steps that actually make sense (unlike Biden’s rants and raves. He is clearly ignorant of gun culture.) they can actually come to the table. I hope the gun control people realize that they have forced the intelligent gun owners to take a strong position that they cannot back down from without a restructure of this conversation.