Who Is Alleged Fort Hood Gunman Ivan Lopez?
Spc. Ivan Lopez is allegedly the man who open fired at Fort Hood Wednesday, killing three and injuring 16 others. When confronted with an armed individual following his shooting spree, he took his own life as well.
Who Is Ivan Lopez
By most accounts, Lopez, a husband and father, was a “nice” and “laidback” man. “He seemed like a nice guy, a family guy,” Abel Quintero, a neighbor, told the New York Daily News. “He looked regular to me. Not crazy or nothing.”
At the time of the shooting, Lopez was living with his wife and young daughter at an apartment in Killen, Texas.
Family spokesman Glidden Lopez Torres told the News. “He was a very laid-back person. I would even say a little bit shy. That is why we’re so surprised.”
Lopez In the Military
Lopez enlisted in the army as an infantryman in June 2008. He later changed his specialty to truck driver, which he served as in Iraq in 2011. It was never documented that he had sustained any injury during his stint in Iraq, but he self reported a traumatic brain injury. Lopez was currently on active duty.
Lopez’s Mental Health
Lopez reportedly had a number of mental health issues, including depression and anxiety, for which he’d received treatment. "We do know that this soldier had behavioral health and mental health issues and was being treated for that," said Lt. Gen. Mark Milley, head of the Army's III Corps at the Texas post, according to USA Today. Lopez was also being evaluated for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Just last month, Lopez received a psychiatric evaluation. The former solider, who served four months in Iraq in which he did not see combat, had not been deemed a suicide risk, nor did the psychiatrist find that he had violent tendencies.
Lopez left behind his wife Karla and three children.
– Chelsea Regan
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