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Obama to Attend Ft. Hood Memorial Service

by Sarah Hedgecock

A White House official confirmed on Sunday that President Obama will visit Fort Hood next week to attend a memorial service in honor of the victims of this week's shooting. The service will be held on Wednesday, one week after the shooting rampage that left four people dead (including the shooter) and 16 wounded. Obama visited the base under similar circumstances in 2009, after another shooter killed 13 people and wounded over 30.

"It's a terrible tragedy what happened at Fort Hood," White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer said on Face the Nation this Sunday. "The president and first lady send their thoughts and prayers out to the victims and families and everyone on the base, and they're going to actually travel down on Wednesday to the memorial ceremony." The president had already planned to be in Texas to speak at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library on Thursday. A Fort Hood spokesman also confirmed that there will be a service of remembrance that day.

The shooter, Spc. Ivan Lopez, reportedly opened fire after an argument with other members of his unit. From Bustle:

Various sources have suggested that Lopez’s rage was sparked by an issue over some forms that needed to be filled out. Apparently, the veteran became annoyed after requesting a leave-of-absence application and being told by a human-resources officer to come back the next day. Other sources have suggested that Lopez was looking for time off in order to deal with some family issues, supposedly to do with the recent death of his mother.

The argument was likely the "precipitating event," but we may never know exactly what triggered Lopez's rage. Although he had been treated for depression and anxiety, Lopez had shown no signs of violence before the shooting.