Campbell University grad John Arroyo hurt in Fort Hood shooting

BUIES CREEK, N.C. (WTVD) -- Campbell University says that one of its graduates was wounded during the mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas on Wednesday.

Second Lieutenant John Arroyo was shot in the neck by Spc. Ivan Lopez - who later turned his gun on himself after killing three people and wounding 16 others at the sprawling Texas military base.

Campbell said Arroyo graduated in 2013 from its Fort Bragg campus.

The school said Arroyo was commissioned as an officer in the Army on May 11, 2013 after serving many years as an enlisted non-commissioned officer. He completed the ROTC program at Campbell and was one of the most successful cadets in university history. He was the cadet battalion commander for his ROTC class and a distinguished graduate. He graduated summa cum laude and is an active member of the Phi Kappa Phi honor society.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with John and the Arroyo family," said John Roberson, dean of Campbell's extended programs, including the Fort Bragg campus. "We wish him success in his recovery."

Arroyo's close friend and former classmate at Fort Bragg says Arroyo, at one point, came out of the coma, indicated he knew what happened, and was in high spirits.

Close military friends of Arroyo, including Gloria Rendon, are keeping up with his status.

Rendon was Arroyo's classmate at the Campbell University Fort Bragg campus, where the soldier studied history, and made high honors.

Arroyo had been a non-commissioned officer for more than a decade before commissioning during graduation and becoming a second lieutenant.

Shortly after graduation, he left Fort Bragg and headed to Fort Hood.

"You'll hear of these tragedies and you never expect it to be someone that you know or care about or love, especially not these types of folks who are so positive," said Rendon. "It's always these people who you least expect to get injured who do. So all of us, we're just so sad , so heartbroken, concerned for John and his family, and we're glad to hear that he's doing much better and hope and pray that he has a speedy and fast recovery."

The military is still investigating why Lopez started shooting people at the Texas base Wednesday, but said unstable mental health may be a "fundamental, underlying cause." Officials said Lopez may have been in an argument with another service member just before the attack.

An Army truck driver from Puerto Rico, Lopez was undergoing treatment for depression and anxiety while being evaluated for post-traumatic stress disorder, base officials said. Lopez had reported to medical personnel that he'd suffered a traumatic brain injury. The 34-year-old served four months in Iraq but saw no combat, and he previously had demonstrated no apparent risk of violence.

Lopez walked into a base building around 4 p.m. Wednesday and began firing a .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol. He then got into a vehicle and continued shooting before entering another building on the Army post. He eventually was confronted by a military police officer in a parking lot where he shot himself.