The gunman who opened fire at Fort Hood on Wednesday, killing three and injuring 16 before turning the gun on himself, was a soldier who served in Iraq for four months.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday afternoon, Fort Hood commanding general Lt. Gen. Milley identified the shooter as 34-year-old Ivan A. Lopez, 34, a specialist originally from Puerto Rico.
Lt. Gen. Milley said the shooter was being treated for mental health and behavioral issues. The soldier had suffered a traumatic brain injury when he returned from Iraq, Gen. Milley said, and was being evaluated for post-traumatic stress disorder -- but not yet diagnosed.
PHOTO: Alleged Fort Hood gunman Ivan Lopez pic.twitter.com/cUunxuI1Dt— NBC Nightly News (@nbcnightlynews) April 3, 2014
On Thursday, Secretary of the Army John McHugh said Lopez saw no combat in Iraq -- and was not wounded while serving in the country. He had been prescribed Ambien, McHugh said.
Multiple reports, sourcing an unnamed Pentagon official and U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, had previously named the suspected shooter, who has a wife and a young child.
New pictures of suspected Fort Hood shooter Ivan Lopez from Puerto Rico National Guard: http://t.co/iHcbKwCBWq pic.twitter.com/tVV46mi2OX— CBSDFW (@CBSDFW) April 3, 2014
He was reportedly devastated by his mother's recent death and angry with the Army for its refusal to let him attend her funeral, the New York Daily News reports, citing to a newspaper in Puerto Rico.
NBC News on Thursday morning made contact with the alleged shooter's wife, who only said, "I'm sorry. I don't feel well. I've been talking to police all night."
PHOTO: @CNN has obtained photos of Fort Hood shooting suspect, Ivan Lopez. See more here: http://t.co/GxLoC4sHJU pic.twitter.com/0GeGynLKDq— ABC15 Arizona (@abc15) April 3, 2014
A neighbor told CNN the wife was "hysterical" after seeing her husband named on TV as the suspected gunman. “She was worried and she was crying” the neighbor said. “I tried to console her and comfort her, let her know everything was okay.”
His family is shocked that such a “very calm, very quiet” man is capable of the Fort Hood shooting, the Washington Post's Matea Gold reports.
Family of Ivan Lopez horrified, shocked that “very calm, very quiet” man capable of #FtHood shooting. "He was very happy," spox told me.— Matea Gold (@mateagold) April 3, 2014
Lopez, who used a .45 Smith & Wesson that he purchased in the local area, was assigned to 13th Sustainment Command. He opened fire in the 1st Medical Brigade area of Fort Hood.
Specialist Lopez reportedly walked into the building just before 5 p.m. CT on Wednesday and opened fire. He then hopped into a vehicle, drove a short distance to another building, entered it, and again opened fire. He was confronted by a female MP in a parking lot and then shot himself in the head.
News of the shooting immediately brought to mind the deadly rampage on the same base on Nov. 5, 2009, when Maj. Nidal Hasan, who had been an Army psychiatrist, killed 13 people and wounded more than 30 others with a semiautomatic pistol.
Hasan, a Muslim, had been opposed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Prosecutors and Hasan himself said that he feared being deployed to a war zone and wanted to commit jihad to protect fellow Muslims from American troops.
Gen. Milley said there was no known motive for Wednesday's shooting, but military officials believe it's not related to terrorism.