Sad news.
Chris Kyle, former Navy SEAL and author of the New York Times bestseller American Sniper, was one of two victims killed in a shooting at a Texas gun range Saturday.
According to a local news station, police have arrested a suspect in the slayings. The suspect reportedly shot Kyle at point-blank range while he attempted to aid a fellow veteran.
Kyle reportedly achieved 160 kills as a sniper in the Navy SEALs. His author profile at Amazon.com summarizes the extensive decorations he received while serving:
SEAL Team 3 Chief Chris Kyle served four combat tours in Operation Iraqi Freedom and elsewhere. For his bravery in battle, he was awarded two Silver Stars, five Bronze Stars with Valor, two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, and one Navy and Marine Corps Commendation. Additionally, he received the Grateful Nation Award, given by the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs. Following his combat deployments, he became chief instructor for training Naval Special Warfare Sniper and Counter-Sniper teams, and he authored the Naval Special Warfare Sniper Doctrine, the first Navy SEAL sniper manual.
The shooting occurred in Erath County, Texas, some 50 miles from Fort Worth.
UPDATE: A close friend tells Breitbart News that Chris Kyle was at a veterans’ charity event, helping a fellow military member learn sniper shooting technique, and that he was shot by a Marine suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome. The suspect, Eddie Ray Routh, has been arrested in Lancaster, Texas in connection with the shooting.
