NOT AGAIN! Nation mourns following senseless shooting rampage at Ft. Hood

A mass shooting at Ft. Hood in Texas has left 3 people, plus the shooter dead and 11 others with wounds of various severity. The shooting occurred around 4pm local time and the shooter has been identified as 34 year-old Ivan Lopez.

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LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Yesterday afternoon, a solitary soldier began shooting fellow army personnel and struck at least 16 people before he was engaged by a military police officer. When confronted, the shooter, identified as 34 year-old Ivan Lopez, turned his .45 caliber pistol on himself and committed suicide.

Although officials are investigating the incident, there does not yet appear to be any motive. The Army has confirmed he was being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and that he completed one short tour in Iraq. They also added that he did not see any combat on tour and that he was not decorated or wounded.

PLEASE PRAY for all victims of these terrible events. Light a candle now for Ft. Hood victims.

Lopez served for four months in Iraq during the drawdown phase of the campaign there and he was married with four kids. Lopez served in the Army as a truck driver with a supply outfit.

Previous to his deployment to Iraq, Lopez was a member of the Puerto Rico National Guard who volunteered for the regular Army.

Although the precise sequence of events remains unclear, it has been reported that the shooting began with an argument between Lopez and another soldier. Following that argument, Lopez, using a .45 caliber pistol which records show he legally purchased, but never registered on the base, to randomly shoot personnel he encountered.

At one point, he took to his vehicle and drove to another area of the base and began shooting people there. Three of his victims died, and 11 others were wounded, some remain in ICU units at area hospitals.

Eventually, Lopez was tracked down and confronted by a female military police officer who puller her weapon on him. Lopez turned his pistol on himself and committed suicide. His rampage lasted 15 minutes.

 Fort Hood is still recovering from a mass shooting that occurred in 2009. That shooting left 13 dead after Army Major Nidal Hasan went on a rampage. The military said Hasan was a Muslim who became radicalized during his time in the service and he decided to commit what amounts to a lone-wolf terrorist act against his own comrades. Hasan is currently incarcerated and has been sentenced to death for his crime. An execution date has not been set.

Following the Hasan shooting, the Army revised its procedures to ensure the safety of personnel however a further review pf procedures may be necessary. Yet, no number of safety reviews and changes in policy will protect people from the occasional rampage of soldiers and personnel who go rogue and act out against the vulnerable.

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