Fort Hood Shooting: Details About Ivan Lopez

World Today

More details are being revealed about the U.S. Army soldier who police say opened fire Wednesday afternoon at the Fort Hood Army Base in the U.S. state of Texas. His service career included a peacekeeping mission. But his life ended with a killing spree. Three innocents shot dead-16 more wounded-before the soldier turned the gun on himself.

The shooter is identified as Specialist Ivan Lopez. He may have had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder-the same condition that 11 percent of all Afghan veterans have been diagnosed with, and 20 percent of all Iraqi veterans. But despite what we know about his life- and possible mental state-there’s still one critical question that seemingly nobody can answer right now. Why?

An almost identical scene occurred more than 4 years earlier. When a U.S. Army psychiatrist turned his gun on fellow soldiers-killing 13 and wounding 30 others.

Police say Lopez bought the gun he used recently adding that it was not registered to be on the base.

The Puerto Rico native joined the island’s National Guard in 1999 served on a year-long peace-keeping mission to Egypt in 2007 and, then, in 2008 enlisted with the US Army.

The U.S. Attorney General says authorities are looking for any clues– from financial problems to personal relationships-that would drive Lopez to kill fellow soldiers.

Lopez had no known links to extremist or terrorist groups.

Fort Hood Shooting: Details About Ivan Lopez

More details are revealed about the U.S. Army soldier who police say opened fire Wednesday afternoon at the Fort Hood Army Base in the U-S state of Texas.