Suspect in American Sniper's Murder a Vet He Was Helping

The former Navy SEAL sniper shot dead alongside a friend at a Texas shooting range yesterday appears to have been killed by a troubled Iraq War veteran he was trying to help, authorities say. Travis Cox, director of a nonprofit veterans' organization that American Sniper author Chris Kyle helped found, says Kyle and his friend were helping Eddie Ray Routh deal with post-traumatic stress disorder, the AP reports. Routh, 25, has been charged with both murders.

Kyle "served this country with extreme honor, but came home and was a servant leader in helping his brothers and sisters dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder," Cox tells the New York Times. "Everyone has their own inner struggles, but he was very proactive about the things he was dealing with." The local sheriff says Routh's mother may have reached out to Kyle for help with her son. Investigators, who believe Routh killed both men with a semi-automatic handgun, say he has not made any comments that would indicate a motive. (More Chris Kyle stories.)