Fort Hood shooter was being evaluated for PTSD
The Iraqi war veteran who opened fire at Fort Hood on Wednesday, killing three others before taking his own life, was being evaluated for post-traumatic stress disorder, according to Fort Hood’s senior officer, Lt. Gen. Mark Milley.
Sixteen others were wounded in the attack, report the New York Times, the Associated Press and the Washington Post. The gunman was Ivan Lopez, according to Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. Milley didn’t identify the shooter, but said he was an Iraq war veteran being treated for mental illness.
Milley said the gunman was being treated for “behavioral health and mental health issues” and he was taking anti-depressants. Lopez bought his gun in the area and the weapon was not registered to be on the base.
Only military police officers are allowed to carry weapons at Fort Hood and other U.S. military installations, the Post says. The gunman, who served four months in Iraq in 2011, shot himself after being confronted by a female military police officer, Milley said.
Milley said there was no indication that the attack was related to terrorism. Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan was convicted last summer for the 2009 attack at Fort Hood that left 13 people dead.
