Former Navy Seal, and man who taught Todd Palin to hold a gun on TV, shot to death at shooting range. Really?

Chis Kyle with actor Dean Cain on set of "Stars Earn Stripes."

Courtesy of Politico:

Former Navy SEAL and “American Sniper” author Chris Kyle was fatally shot along with another man Saturday on a Texas gun range, a sheriff told local newspapers. 

Erath County Sheriff Tommy Bryant said Kyle, 38, and a second man were found dead at Rough Creek Lodge’s shooting range west of Glen Rose, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and Stephenville Empire-Tribune. Glen Rose is about 50 miles southwest of Fort Worth. 

Erath County Sheriff Tommy Bryant said Kyle, 38, and a second man were found dead at Rough Creek Lodge’s shooting range west of Glen Rose, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and Stephenville Empire-Tribune. Glen Rose is about 50 miles southwest of Fort Worth. 

Witnesses told sheriff’s investigators that a gunman opened fire on the men around 3:30 p.m. Saturday, then fled in a pickup truck belonging to one of the victims, according to the Star-Telegram. The newspapers said a 25-year-old man was later taken into custody in Lancaster, southeast of Dallas, and that charges were expected. 

Lancaster police did not immediately return calls for comment. 

The motive for the shooting was unclear. 

Wow shot to death on a gun range, after authoring a book entitled "American Sniper," and appearing on a television show that glorified war and military weaponry, I don't think there is enough irony to even cover that. 

Which is too bad because that means there is not enough left over for the fact that Chris Kyle was also the man assigned to Todd Palin during the truly excruciating "Star Earn Striped" reality show and tasked with the job of teaching him to hold a gun like a man. (Sadly, as evidenced by the picture below, that did not take.)

Kyle is also the man who made the following claim about the First Dud: 

“He’s Rambo, he’s straight up Rambo,” said Chris Kyle. “Next time I’m in a war, I want Todd Palin on my side.” 

Then, Chris added, “He was the first one on the boat, the first one under the wire, and about the time the rest of the guys were getting through, he already had the crate. You don’t need anyone else,” he said. “Forget Chuck Norris, send in Todd Palin.”

Gee if only Kyle would have had Todd with him at that shooting range. Just imagine.

Of course Sarah Palin's ghostwriter has already offered up her condolences:

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and many friends of former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle tonight. Todd and I first met Chris in Pella, Iowa, when he helped out with security for the premiere of the film “The Undefeated.” And later we became friends with Chris when he was on “Stars Earn Stripes” with Todd. Chris was a wonderful man, a good friend, and a true American hero who loved our country and served honorably. He was loved and admired by so many, and he will never be forgotten.

 - Todd and Sarah Palin

God, you can just feel the compassion and sense of loss can't you?

Okay you know this is usually where I would go off on riff about the "Palin curse" and point out how incredibly ironic it was that this man, who had grifted money from the gun nuts by writing a self aggrandizing book entitled "American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History," was killed on a shooting range in bum fuck Texas, but I won't.

And the reason for that is because it is never okay to mock a person's death, and however much this guy may have contributed to the glorification of war and the mythologizing of Todd Palin, he was still a human being. And he lost his life. And that is always a sad day for everyone.