BBC Online :
A soldier shot dead three colleagues and injured 16 others at the US Army’s Fort Hood base in Texas before killing himself, the military says.
US media named the suspect as Ivan Lopez, 34, although his identity has not been officially confirmed.
The gunman had served in Iraq and had mental health problems, officials said.
President Barack Obama said he was “heartbroken” over the attack. A gun rampage at the same base in 2009 left 13 soldiers dead and 32 wounded.
Maj Nidal Hasan was sentenced to death for that attack.
US military spokesman Lt Gen Mark Milley told reporters that there was so far no indication that Wednesday’s shootings were related to terrorism.
He said the suspect had not been injured when he served in Iraq in 2011, but was being assessed to see if he had post-traumatic stress disorder.
The gunman was being treated for depression and anxiety, Gen Milley added. The general said that it was not clear if the attack was premeditated and those wounded and killed were all members of the military.
The soldier drove to two buildings on the base and opened fire before he was stopped by military police, in an incident that lasted between 15 and 20 minutes. One of the largest military installations in the world, with nearly 65,000 soldiers Divided into three sections: the main cantonment, West Fort Hood, and North Fort Hood.
Units from the base have been deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq and US hurricane relief operations
He then shot himself in the head with a .45-calibre semi-automatic pistol, Gen Milley said.
Officials say the weapon had been bought in a local store. Firearms are largely banned at US Army bases, with few soldiers besides military police allowed to carry them.
Obama told reporters in Chicago: “I want to just assure all of us we are going to get to the bottom of exactly what happened.” Obama said Ford Hood had sacrificed so much for freedom.
A soldier shot dead three colleagues and injured 16 others at the US Army’s Fort Hood base in Texas before killing himself, the military says.
US media named the suspect as Ivan Lopez, 34, although his identity has not been officially confirmed.
The gunman had served in Iraq and had mental health problems, officials said.
President Barack Obama said he was “heartbroken” over the attack. A gun rampage at the same base in 2009 left 13 soldiers dead and 32 wounded.
Maj Nidal Hasan was sentenced to death for that attack.
US military spokesman Lt Gen Mark Milley told reporters that there was so far no indication that Wednesday’s shootings were related to terrorism.
He said the suspect had not been injured when he served in Iraq in 2011, but was being assessed to see if he had post-traumatic stress disorder.
The gunman was being treated for depression and anxiety, Gen Milley added. The general said that it was not clear if the attack was premeditated and those wounded and killed were all members of the military.
The soldier drove to two buildings on the base and opened fire before he was stopped by military police, in an incident that lasted between 15 and 20 minutes. One of the largest military installations in the world, with nearly 65,000 soldiers Divided into three sections: the main cantonment, West Fort Hood, and North Fort Hood.
Units from the base have been deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq and US hurricane relief operations
He then shot himself in the head with a .45-calibre semi-automatic pistol, Gen Milley said.
Officials say the weapon had been bought in a local store. Firearms are largely banned at US Army bases, with few soldiers besides military police allowed to carry them.
Obama told reporters in Chicago: “I want to just assure all of us we are going to get to the bottom of exactly what happened.” Obama said Ford Hood had sacrificed so much for freedom.
