N. Illinois soldier killed in Colo. shooting

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- A Fort Carson soldier from northern Illinois who was found fatally shot on a sidewalk last week had survived two tours of duty to Iraq, the Army said Tuesday.

A newspaper carrier found Spc. Kevin R. Shields, 24, early Saturday. Shields, a native of Roscoe, Ill., had been shot several times, police said.

Officers have not found a suspect or a motive. City police and the Army were both investigating, said police spokesman Lt. Skip Arms.

Shields had survived more than 18 months in Iraq. He fought in Ramadi for a year with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 2nd Infantry Division, returning to Fort Carson in September 2005. Shields went to Baghdad with the brigade in October 2006.

Shield's unit, the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, is scheduled to come home in January, but Army records show Shields came home last May. A Fort Carson spokeswoman said Shields returned for "medical reasons."

Shields had earned the Army's Good Conduct Medal and the Combat Infantry Badge.