GLEN ROSE, Texas — The authorities in Texas said a man had been charged in the shooting deaths of a former Navy SEAL and author of "American Sniper," Chris Kyle, and a second man at a Texas gun range.
Brandon Thibodeaux for The New York Times
Chris Kyle at his home in Dallas in March 2012.
Sgt. Lonny Haschel with Texas Department of Public Safety said Sunday in a statement that Eddie Ray Routh, 25, of Lancaster was arraigned late Saturday on two counts of capital murder.
Mr. Kyle wrote the best-selling book, “American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History,” detailing his 150-plus kills of insurgents from 1999 to 2009.
Mr. Haschel said Erath County deputies responded to a shooting at the Rough Creek Lodge west of Glenn Rose at about 5:30 p.m. Saturday and found the bodies of Mr. Kyle, 38, and a second man, 35-year-old Chad Littlefield. Glenn Rose is about 50 miles southwest of Fort Worth.
The police said Mr. Routh opened fire on the two men at about 3:30 p.m. Saturday, then fled in a Ford pickup truck. At about 8 p.m., Mr. Routh arrived at his home in Lancaster, about 17 miles southeast of Dallas. Police arrested him after a brief pursuit and took him to the Lancaster Police Department.
The Lancaster Police Department referred all calls to the Texas Department of Public Safety in Garland, and a phone message about where Mr. Routh is being held was not immediately returned Sunday.
The motive for the shooting was unclear.
A statement from Travis Cox, director of FITCO Cares, a nonprofit Mr. Kyle helped start, said he had served four tours of duty. He is survived by his wife, Taya, and their children, the agency’s statement said.
Mr. Kyle was sued by the former governor of Minnesota, Jesse Ventura, over a portion of the book that claims Mr. Kyle punched Mr. Ventura in a 2006 bar fight over unpatriotic remarks. Mr. Ventura says the punch never happened and that the claim by Kyle defamed him.
Mr. Kyle had asked that Ventura’s claims of invasion of privacy and "unjust enrichment" be dismissed, saying there was no legal basis for them. But a federal judge said the lawsuit should proceed. Both sides were told to be ready for trial by Aug. 1.
Chris Kyle, Author of ‘American Sniper’ Reported Killed in Texas
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Chris Kyle, Author of ‘American Sniper’ Reported Killed in Texas
