From: rpattree2@gmail.com   
      
   Fort Hood shooter was on anti-depression medication   
   Published time: April 03, 2014 16:16    
   Edited time: April 04, 2014 11:58 Get short URL   
   Ivan Lopez (image from Facebook)   
   Ivan Lopez (image from Facebook)   
   Tags   
   Arms, Army, Crime, Drugs, Health, Military, Police, Security, Shooting, USA,   
   Violence, War   
   The Iraq War veteran who opened fire at Fort Hood on Wednesday, killing three   
   people and injuring 16, was being treated for mental health issues and being   
   evaluated for post-traumatic stress disorder, the Associated Press reports.   
      
   Identified as Spc. Ivan Lopez by Lt. Gen. Mark Milley, Ft. Hood's commanding   
   general, the Army veteran reportedly walked into one of the area buildings   
   with a .45 semi-automatic handgun and started shooting. He kept firing even as   
   he used a vehicle to    
   make his way to another building, where the gunfire continued.   
      
   When military police confronted him, Lopez put his hands into the air before   
   pulling out his gun from his jacket and shooting himself in the head.   
      
   Sgt. First Class Erick Rodriguez stands guard before a news conference by Lt.   
   Gen. Mark Milley at the entrance to Fort Hood Army Post in Texas April 2,   
   2014. (Reuters / Erich Schlegel)   
   Sgt. First Class Erick Rodriguez stands guard before a news conference by Lt.   
   Gen. Mark Milley at the entrance to Fort Hood Army Post in Texas April 2,   
   2014. (Reuters / Erich Schlegel)   
      
   According to the AP, an investigation into the gunman's mental health   
   background was initiated immediately after the violence ended. Part of the   
   probe will also focus on the possibility that a fight or argument triggered   
   the shooting.   
      
   "We have to find all those witnesses, the witnesses to every one of those   
   shootings, and find out what his actions were, and what was said to the   
   victims," a federal law enforcement official said to the AP on condition of   
   anonymity.   
      
   In a press conference Wednesday evening, Lt. Gen. Mark Milley confirmed that   
   the shooter was being treated for numerous health issues after being   
   transferred to Fort Hood in February. Lopez was also being evaluated for   
   post-traumatic stress disorder in    
   connection to his four months spent in Iraq in 2011, though he had yet to be   
   officially diagnosed.   
      
   There was strong evidence that the shooter had a medical history that   
   indicated an unstable psychological condition, said Milley. There was a   
   "strong possibility" that a verbal altercation with another soldier had   
   preceded the shootings, he added,    
   although there was no indication specific people had been targeted in the   
   shooting. Lopez had been prescribed anti-depressants and the sleep aid   
   medication Ambien.   
      
   General Mark Milley, III Corps and Fort Hood Commanding General, speaks to   
   media during a press conference about a shooting that occurred earlier in the   
   day at Fort Hood Military Base on April 2, 2014 in Fort Hood, Texas. (Drew   
   Anthony Smith / Getty    
   Images / AFP)   
   General Mark Milley, III Corps and Fort Hood Commanding General, speaks to   
   media during a press conference about a shooting that occurred earlier in the   
   day at Fort Hood Military Base on April 2, 2014 in Fort Hood, Texas. (Drew   
   Anthony Smith / Getty    
   Images / AFP)   
      
   "Obviously, we are digging deep into his background," Milley said to ABC News.   
   "He was undergoing behavioral health, psychiatric treatment for depression and   
   anxiety and a variety of other psychological and psychiatric issues. ... He   
   was not diagnosed,    
   as of today, with PTSD, he was undergoing a diagnosis process to determine if   
   he had PTSD. That is a lengthy process."   
      
   Milley also confirmed that he was being treated with anti-depressant   
   medication, though it is unclear if that was responsible for any violent or   
   suicidal thoughts. As RT noted on Wednesday, there were reports of the man   
   complaining about a traumatic    
   brain injury that occurred while he was in Iraq. According to a recent tweet   
   by the AP, however, the Army secretary said the shooter "saw no combat in   
   Iraq, was not wounded."   
      
      
   The Washington Post reported that the gunman was married and living in the   
   Fort Hood area before the shooting spree occurred, but neighbors said the   
   family did not interact with many people.   
      
   "He was the kind of person that even if you tried to talk to him wouldn't open   
   up," neighbor Jessie Brown said to the newspaper.   
      
   Family members were not aware that Lopez was receiving treatment for mental   
   issues according to their spokesman, Glidden Lopez Torres.   
      
   "He was a very laid-back person. I would even say a bit shy," Torres said.   
   "That's why we are so surprised."   
      
   This was the second shooting at Fort Hood since 2009, when an Army   
   psychiatrist killed 13 people and injured 32 others. He was convicted and   
   sentenced to death in August 2013.   
      
   Speaking shortly after the most recent violent outbreak, President Obama made   
   the connection to the previous incident.   
      
   "We know these families. We know their incredible service to our country and   
   the sacrifices that they make," he said, according to ABC. "Obviously, our   
   thoughts and prayers are with the entire community, and we are going to do   
   everything we can to make    
   sure the community of Fort Hood has what it needs to deal with a tough   
   situation, but also any potential aftermath."   
      
      
      
      
      
   http://rt.com/usa/fort-hood-shooter-165/   
      
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