The man responsible for shooting and killing three people and wounding 16 others at Fort Hood on Wednesday suffered from mental health issues, officials said.
The gunman, identified as Ivan Lopez, went on a shooting rampage that began when he walked into one of the buildings at the fort, USA Today reported. Lopez fired a .45-caliber Smith & Weston into the building, then traveled in a car to another building where he continued to fire. Lopez killed himself with a bullet to the head when authorities caught up with him.
Officials confirmed that Lopez was being treated for depression and anxiety before the shooting.
"We do know that this soldier had behavioral health and mental health issues and was being treated for that," Lieutenant General Mark Milley, head of the Army's III Corps at Fort Hood, said according to USA Today.
Lopez, who entered the Army in 2008 as an infantryman, was under evaluation for post-traumatic stress disorder. However, he had not been officially diagnosed. A psychiatrist who examined Lopez in March found no signs he was violent or suicidal, officials told USA Today. Lopez was also prescribed Ambien to deal with sleeping issues.
After serving as an infantryman Lopez was a specialty truck driver in Iraq for four months in 2011. Though Lopez had a "self-diagnosed" traumatic brain injury, he did not engage in combat and "he was not wounded in action, to our records," Milley said, USA Today reported.
It is not yet known what Lopez's motive was for the shooting. Investigators are looking into his past to see if he has a criminal record, as well as to learn more about his mental history. The shooting does not appear to be linked to terrorism, however Milley said they are considering every possibility.
"All the things that you would expect us to be doing are being done right now," Milley said, USA Today reported.
