Tragedy struck once again at Fort Hood Military Base Wednesday when a gunman opened fire on unsuspecting soldiers, killing four including himself and injuring several others.
The gunman has been identified as Army Specialist Ivan Lopez, who served in Iraq for four months during 2011. According to Lt. General Mark Milley, who gave the initial press conference after the shooting, Lopez was undergoing treatment for several different things. (Via CBS)
"He was not diagnosed as of today with PTSD."
"He was undergoing behavior health and psychiatric treatment for depression and anxiety and a variety of other psychological and pyschiatric issues." (Via MSNBC)
Lt. General Milley also mentioned during his press conference there were no links to terrorism, leaving the question of motive still unanswered.
In September of 2013, Aaron Alexis went on a similar shooting spree at the Washington Navy Yard, killing 12 people. Alexis allegedly suffered from mental issues, though the VA said he never sought treatment. Alexis claimed low frequency voices in his head pushed him to the shooting. (Via ABC)
The New Yorker called Alexis' shooting "An Avoidable Tragedy" writing, "What’s shocking is not that he had a security clearance, but that someone with such intense problems could slip through the social fabric so readily."
Army officials say Ivan Lopez came to the base in February from another military base in Texas. He was assigned to the 13th Sustainment Command. (Via Fox News)
According to CNN, Lopez had a wife and daughter who both lived on the base with him. The Lopez family's neighbor said they seemed like an average family.
"You never know who you live next door to. ... She wasn't able to say anything, she just broke down. It was like she was hurting and in disbelief." (Via KSHB)
Another neighbor painted a different picture of the suspected shooter for the Washington Post. "He was the kind of person that even if you tried to talk to him wouldn’t open up."
Along with the three people Lopez killed, he injured 16 others. They are being treated at Scott and White Memorial Hospital where their conditions range from stable to critical.
