Officials: Fort Hood shooter killed 3, then himself, had mental health problems

CBS News

Officials: Fort Hood shooter killed 3, then himself, had mental health problems
(Image credit: CBS News)

The gunman who shot and killed three people at Fort Hood on Wednesday evening, before fatally shooting himself, was a soldier with a history of behavioral and mental health problems, officials said. At least 16 others were injured, some critically.

At a press conference Wednesday night, Lt. Gen. Mark A. Milley said that the man's name will not be released until his next of kin is notified. He was a soldier who served four months in Iraq in 2011, came to Fort Hood from another military installation in February, and was married with children. According to Milley,the man suffered from and was being treated for depression, anxiety, and "a variety of other psychological and psychiatric issues."

"He was not diagnosed with PTSD, but was undergoing a diagnosis process," Milley said. "It is a lengthy process to confirm PTSD."

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According to Milley, the shooting began at around 4 p.m., when the man entered a unit and began firing with a semiautomatic pistol. He then drove to another location. Within 15 minutes, first responders arrived and engaged the shooter, who then shot himself in a parking lot. While the motive remains unknown, Milley said, "there is no indication that this incident is related to terrorism, though we are not ruling anything out."

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Catherine Garcia

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.