By Ed Sterling.
A Fort Hood soldier brought a civilian semiautomatic pistol to the sprawling military post 60 miles north of the Capitol city on April 2 and opened fire, killing three fellow service members and wounding 16 others before turning the .45-caliber weapon on himself.
The suspect, Specialist Ivan Lopez, 34, died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound reportedly after a female military police officer confronted him.
Gov. Rick Perry, in a statement released the day of the shooting, said, “Today, Fort Hood was once again stricken by tragedy. As Texans, our first priority must be caring for the victims and their families. Fort Hood has proven its resilience before and will again. Texas will support those efforts in any way we can, with any resources necessary. The thoughts and prayers of all Texans are with everyone affected by this tragedy.”
Attorney General Greg Abbott, on April 3, said he would send members of his Crime Victim Services Division to Fort Hood to work with victims of the attack and that victims may apply for reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses through the state Crime Victims’ Compensation Fund.
Abbott, the state’s chief law enforcement officer, said: “Our hearts break for the wounded military men and women and the families of those who died. Few answers can be found in the days immediately after such a tragedy, but we pledge to assist in any we can. Members of our military and Texans in the Fort Hood area have stared down adversity before and they will do it again.”
An April 3 White House news release said “the Department of Defense has the lead on the investigation with support from federal partners including the FBI, as well as state and local law enforcement personnel.”
‘Obamacare’ enrollment ends
With an official enrollment total and supporting information yet to come, a few hundred thousand Texans applied and obtained health insurance coverage under the U.S. Affordable Care Act before the March 31 enrollment deadline.
The Obama administration’s national goal of gaining 7 million enrollees reportedly was met after months of technical problems with the healthcare.gov website created to process applications.
Still, an estimated one-fourth of the state’s 26 million residents do not have health insurance but are eligible under “Obamacare,” leaving Texas among the least-covered states.
Ed Sterling works for the Texas Press Association and follows the Legislature for the organization.
