Specialist Ivan Lopez, 34, drove his car slowly through the
central Texas base as he carried out the rampage. He got out at two
facilities, including the place he was assigned, fatally shooting
three people and wounding 16 more before turning the gun on himself,
Christopher Grey, spokesman for the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation
Command, told a news conference.
The shooting in which three people were killed and 16 wounded was
the second deadly rampage at the base, one of the largest U.S. Army
posts in the country, in five years. It raised questions about
protecting soldiers at home and caring for troops battling mental
illness, such as Lopez.
The incident started with the argument at an administration
building, Grey said as he filled in some of the details of the
shooting spree. Grey did not take questions.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2014/Apr/08/images/ads/current/farmers_grain_daily_sda_022414.png)
"Within minutes of the altercation, the subject brandished a .45
caliber, semi-automatic handgun and fired multiple rounds, killing
one soldier and wounding 10 additional soldiers," Grey said.
Lopez then got into a car, fired at two soldiers walking past,
wounding one, and went to the motor pool office where he was
assigned.
He shot and killed one soldier in the office and wounded two more in
a vehicle bay before getting back into his car and shooting through
the windshield of a moving vehicle, wounding another person, Grey
said.
MEDICAL BUILDING
Lopez then went to a medical brigade building, killing one soldier
and injuring two more before getting back in his car and pulling
into a parking lot. He was then confronted by a military
policewoman, and shot himself in the head.
[to top of second column] |
![](../images/ads/current/richardson_lda_040113.png)
"We have not confirmed a definitive motive," Grey said, adding Lopez
fired at least 35 rounds from the same weapon during the shooting
spree that covered several hundred yards.
Friends of Lopez told Reuters last week the soldier had been angry
at his commanders for granting only a 24-hour leave to attend his
mother's funeral in Puerto Rico last year.
Lopez had been battling depression and anxiety, and was being
evaluated to see if he suffered from post traumatic stress disorder,
military officials said. He had been deployed to Iraq for four
months in 2011 but saw no combat, they added.
Funeral arrangements were being made for the three killed: Army
Sergeant Timothy Owens, 37, of Illinois, Staff Sergeant Carlos
Lazaney Rodriguez, 38, of Puerto Rico, and Sergeant First Class
Daniel Ferguson, 39, of Florida, a military official said.
A memorial is scheduled at the base on Wednesday and will be
attended by President Barack Obama.
(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; editing by Cynthia Johnston and Grant
McCool)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2014/Apr/08/images/ads/current/brandt_sda_022514.png) |