On February 2, 2013, "American Sniper" Chris Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield were shot dead at a Texas shooting range by Eddie Ray Routh

On February 2, 2013, "American Sniper" Chris Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield were shot dead at a Texas shooting range by Eddie Ray Routh.

Like Kyle, Routh was a veteran of the Iraq war and was living with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder that was so destabilizing that his mother reached out to Kyle for help. Kyle agreed to become the young veteran's mentor, and for their first meeting, decided to take him to a local gun range. But on the way there, Kyle and Littlefield realized just how troubled Routh was. "This dude is straight up nuts," Kyle texted Littlefield as they drove in silence. "He's right behind me," Littlefield responded. "Watch my six." Moments after pulling into the range, Routh grabbed two of Kyle's pistols and fired 13 bullets into both men, killing them instantly. On February 2, 2013, Kyle and his friend, Chad Littlefield, 35, were shot and killed by Eddie Ray Routh at the Rough Creek Ranch-Lodge-Resort shooting range in Erath County, Texas. Both Kyle and Littlefield were armed with .45-caliber M1911-style pistols when they were killed, but neither gun had been unholstered or fired, and the safety catches were still on. Kyle was killed with a .45-caliber pistol, while Littlefield was shot with a 9mm SIG Sauer P226 Mk.25 Mod 0 pistol. Both guns belonged to Kyle. Kyle had begun working with veterans after leaving the military. Routh's mother, who worked at the school that Kyle's children attended, had heard of his work and asked him to help her son. He agreed to take Routh to a shooting range, which Kyle believed had therapeutic value. Routh was a 25-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran from Lancaster, Texas. Kyle and Littlefield had reportedly taken Routh to the gun range in an effort to help him with his post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which he suffered from his time in the military. Routh had also been in and out of mental hospitals for at least two years and had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, although his stated motive did not involve any symptoms typically associated with the disability, such as hallucinations or delusions. On the way to the shooting range, Kyle texted Littlefield, "This dude is straight up nuts." Littlefield responded, "Watch my six," military slang meaning "watch my back." Four months later, while he was in his jail cell, Routh shared with former Erath County Sheriff's Deputy Gene Cole: "I was just riding in the back seat of the truck, and nobody would talk to me. They were just taking me to the range, so I shot them. I feel bad about it, but they wouldn't talk to me. I'm sure they've forgiven me." Kyle had been shot six times, including a “rapidly fatal” bullet to the back that pierced his aorta, and another to the jaw that caused a severe spinal cord injury. Littlefield was hit seven times, including four that would have been instantly fatal. One of the gunshot wounds was to the top of the head, indicating it was likely fired while Littlefield was already on the ground. Crime scene photos shown in court show Kyle lying on the dirt in front of an elevated deck from which rifles were fired at targets up to 1,000 yards away. Littlefield lay on the same deck nearby. After the killings, Routh first went to a Taco Bell and bought some burritos, then went to his sister's house in Midlothian and told her what he had done. His sister, Laura Blevins, called 9-1-1 and told the emergency operator: "They went out to a shooting range ... Like, he's all crazy. He's ... psychotic." After that, Routh drove to his home and picked up his dog. Local police first distracted Routh by speaking to him, where he spoke irrationally about Hell, the end of the world, and voodoo. After Routh drove away over a failed attempt to use spike strips, police captured Routh after a short freeway chase, which ended when Routh, who fled the scene in Kyle's Ford F-350 truck, crashed into a police cruiser in Lancaster.

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