The father Ivan Lopez says he is struggling to comprehend how his son could have opened fire on fellow soldiers at Fort Hood in Texas.
In a statement from his native Puerto Rico, the elder Ivan Lopez calls for prayers for the three people killed and 16 wounded in the attack.
His brief statement today was his first since the shooting at the Army base where his son was stationed. The motive remains unknown. Officials have said Lopez was being treated for depression and anxiety and was involved in a verbal dispute just before the shooting.
The father recalled Lopez as a peaceful man and hard worker but apparently struggling with the recent deaths of his mother and grandfather and the stress of transferring to a new base.
