‘American Sniper’ Chris Kyle statue to be unveiled in Odessa

Texans will have a new way to honor the “American Sniper” this week.

Odessa will unveil a statue Thursday of Chris Kyle, who was born in the West Texas city. According to the Odessa American, the statue will sit on a 48,000-pound limestone base and stand a total 15 feet tall.

Both Taya Kyle, Chris Kyle’s widow, and sculptor Vic Payne are scheduled to attend.

According to the Odessa Chamber of Commerce, the $1 million Chris Kyle Memorial Plaza that contains the statue will also hold four trees from President George W. Bush’s Crawford Ranch.

This is not the first statue of Chris Kyle. A 6-foot-3 replica of the sniper was cast into bronze at an Arlington foundry. The statue was later donated to the Kyle family, according to Star-Telegram archives.

Kyle and Chad Littlefield were gunned down by Eddie Routh in 2013 at a Glen Rose gun range. Routh was convicted of capital murder and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility for parole.

This article contains material from the Star-Telegram archives.

@bryanbastible

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This story was originally published July 26, 2016 at 4:50 PM with the headline "‘American Sniper’ Chris Kyle statue to be unveiled in Odessa."