US investigators were on Thursday studying the background of a troubled soldier who launched a deadly shooting rampage on his Texas base before turning the gun on himself.
The shooting at Fort Hood revived memories of a 2009 attack by a US officer turned Islamist extremist, but Pentagon officials said this week's shooter was not a terrorist but a troubled individual.
The soldier, a 34-year-old private, had served in Iraq and was being evaluated for possible Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, but his superiors said they had seen no sign he posed any danger.
Wednesday's shooting spree left three people dead and 16 wounded before the soldier, identified in US media reports as Ivan Lopez, turned his pistol on himself.
"At this moment, we have no indication... there were any signs of likely violence either to himself or to others," Army Secretary John McHugh, told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
"His records show no wounds, no direct involvement in combat, no report of injury that might lead us to get a battle-related TBI (traumatic brain injury) or such," McHugh said.
He added that the soldier, who is attached to a logistics regiment "had a clean record" in terms of behavioral and disciplinary matters.
The violence raises fresh questions about security at US bases and the mental health of America's soldiers, many of whom have served repeated dangerous deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq.
But in this case, Pentagon officials said the gunman worked as a truck driver in Iraq in late 2011 as the US mission was coming to an end and he never faced combat there.
He had no known history of violence, although he had received treatment from mental health professionals.
"He was undergoing a variety of treatments and diagnosis for mental health conditions, ranging from depression to anxiety to some sleep disturbance," said McHugh.
"He was prescribed some drugs to address those, including Ambien," he said, referring to a commonly prescribed sedative and adding that the soldier had seen a psychiatrist last month.
Military doctors had decided "to just continue to monitor and to treat him as deemed appropriate."
"The past 13 years have been fraught with much loss, with much pain, much suffering but through it all, members of the US Army, the families, the civilians that support them have come through the storm together," he said.
Military officials said the alleged shooter was a former National Guardsman from the US territory of Puerto Rico, who enlisted in the full-time army in June 2008 as an infantryman.
"This was an experienced soldier," said Army Chief of Staff Ray Odierno at the hearing.
"He spent time actually in the Puerto Rico National Guard before coming to active duty, so he's a very experienced soldier."
In addition to the time spent in Iraq he had a one year peacekeeping deployment to the Sinai with the National Guard, Odierno said.
Officials said the shooting exposed the challenge of maintaining security on US military bases.
"The alleged weapon was .45 caliber, which he had recently purchased," said McHugh.
"He'd lived off post: We are not legally able to compel them to register weapons when they reside off post."
The soldier had not declared the weapon to the military authorities and ought not to have carried it onto base.
"It was not registered and it was under our rules being utilized illegally, without proper clearance or foreknowledge by the commander," McHugh said.
Fort Hood is a huge military complex and training area in Texas that hosts 45,000 service personnel, many of them preparing for or returning from combat and peacekeeping tours abroad.
On November 5, 2009, another soldier, Major Nidal Hasan opened fire at a medical facility, killing 13 people and wounding 30 more before he himself was shot and wounded.
Hasan told investigators that he was acting to avenge fellow Muslims killed in US operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. In August last year he was convicted and sentenced to death by a court martial.
US investigators were on Thursday studying the background of a troubled soldier who launched a deadly shooting rampage on his Texas base before turning the gun on himself.
The shooting at Fort Hood revived memories of a 2009 attack by a US officer turned Islamist extremist, but Pentagon officials said this week’s shooter was not a terrorist but a troubled individual.
The soldier, a 34-year-old private, had served in Iraq and was being evaluated for possible Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, but his superiors said they had seen no sign he posed any danger.
Wednesday’s shooting spree left three people dead and 16 wounded before the soldier, identified in US media reports as Ivan Lopez, turned his pistol on himself.
“At this moment, we have no indication… there were any signs of likely violence either to himself or to others,” Army Secretary John McHugh, told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“His records show no wounds, no direct involvement in combat, no report of injury that might lead us to get a battle-related TBI (traumatic brain injury) or such,” McHugh said.
He added that the soldier, who is attached to a logistics regiment “had a clean record” in terms of behavioral and disciplinary matters.
The violence raises fresh questions about security at US bases and the mental health of America’s soldiers, many of whom have served repeated dangerous deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq.
But in this case, Pentagon officials said the gunman worked as a truck driver in Iraq in late 2011 as the US mission was coming to an end and he never faced combat there.
He had no known history of violence, although he had received treatment from mental health professionals.
“He was undergoing a variety of treatments and diagnosis for mental health conditions, ranging from depression to anxiety to some sleep disturbance,” said McHugh.
“He was prescribed some drugs to address those, including Ambien,” he said, referring to a commonly prescribed sedative and adding that the soldier had seen a psychiatrist last month.
Military doctors had decided “to just continue to monitor and to treat him as deemed appropriate.”
“The past 13 years have been fraught with much loss, with much pain, much suffering but through it all, members of the US Army, the families, the civilians that support them have come through the storm together,” he said.
Military officials said the alleged shooter was a former National Guardsman from the US territory of Puerto Rico, who enlisted in the full-time army in June 2008 as an infantryman.
“This was an experienced soldier,” said Army Chief of Staff Ray Odierno at the hearing.
“He spent time actually in the Puerto Rico National Guard before coming to active duty, so he’s a very experienced soldier.”
In addition to the time spent in Iraq he had a one year peacekeeping deployment to the Sinai with the National Guard, Odierno said.
Officials said the shooting exposed the challenge of maintaining security on US military bases.
“The alleged weapon was .45 caliber, which he had recently purchased,” said McHugh.
“He’d lived off post: We are not legally able to compel them to register weapons when they reside off post.”
The soldier had not declared the weapon to the military authorities and ought not to have carried it onto base.
“It was not registered and it was under our rules being utilized illegally, without proper clearance or foreknowledge by the commander,” McHugh said.
Fort Hood is a huge military complex and training area in Texas that hosts 45,000 service personnel, many of them preparing for or returning from combat and peacekeeping tours abroad.
On November 5, 2009, another soldier, Major Nidal Hasan opened fire at a medical facility, killing 13 people and wounding 30 more before he himself was shot and wounded.
Hasan told investigators that he was acting to avenge fellow Muslims killed in US operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. In August last year he was convicted and sentenced to death by a court martial.
