Everything We Know About Fort Hood Shooting Suspect Ivan Lopez
The man who carried out the deadly shooting at Fort Hood on Wednesday that killed three people and wounded 16 others was being treated for mental health issues.
He was being treated for afflictions such as anxiety and depression, USA Today reports.
U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas identified the suspected gunman as Spc. Ivan Lopez hours after the shooting. Officials have yet to announce what motivated Lopez to kill other soldiers and then take his own life.
"We do know that this soldier had behavioral health and mental health issues and was being treated for that," said Lt. Gen. Mark Milley, head of the Army's III Corps at the Texas post.
Lopez was being evaluated for post-traumatic stress disorder, but had not yet been diagnosed with the illness. Milley said he was on medication for a "variety" of other issues, in addition to depression and anxiety.
Milley and other Army officials waited to notify the man's family of his death before they publicly released his name.
Lopez served four months in Iraq in 2011 and had a "self-diagnosed" brain injury. "He was not wounded in action," Milley said.
Lopez arrived at Fort Hood in February from another Army post, but had not been assigned to one of the Army Wounded Transition Units, which are set up to care for injured or ill soldiers.
There is an ongoing investigation into whether or not Lopez had a criminal history. Investigators are also looking into the state of his mental health, as well as his experiences in Iraq. Currently, there is no evidence that the shooting was an act of terrorism, but nothing is being ruled out, Milley said.
"All the things that you would expect us to be doing are being done right now," he added late Wednesday.
The shooter was married, and "does have a family," Milley said. The family lives in the Fort Hood area.
Milley said the shooter, who was armed with a .45-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun, walked into the building and opened fire, then got into a car, fired more shots and went into another building and continued shooting.
Everyone who was wounded or killed were military personnel.
Milley said that a female solider encountered the shooter in the parking lot. Lopez, dressed in fatigues, pulled a gun from under his jacket. The female solider then pulled out her gun and "engaged" from around 20 feet away.
Lopez then put his gun to his head and fired.
Fort Hood had a deadly shooting on Nov. 5, 2009, that left 13 people dead and 30 wounded in the deadliest domestic military attack in U.S. history.
Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan was convicted and sentenced to death for the 2009 shooting.