Fort Hood gunman fought with HR before shooting spree

Fort Hood killer Spc. Ivan Lopez Jr. began his bloody rampage after being denied a leave-of-absence form at a base office, a relative of one of his victims told ABC News on Friday.

Ameetra Westbrook-Otis said her brother, Sgt. Jonathan Westbrook, was working in a human-resources office when Lopez entered and requested the form.

She said her brother told her that Lopez appeared distraught and exasperated after he was refused the form but that he eventually left without incident.

But the married father eventually stormed back into the area and first took aim at a supervisor before turning his gun on others — including Westbrook.

The confrontation sparked a roughly 20-minute rampage that took the lives of Sgt. Danny Ferguson, 39, of Mulberry, Fla., Sgt. Carlos Lazaney, 38, of Puerto Rico, and Sgt. Timothy Owens, 37, of Effingham, Ill.

Lopez injured 16 others during the carnage before killing himself, and six of the victims remain hospitalized, authorities said.

Tales of heroism amid the chaos emerged yesterday. Ferguson bravely blocked Lopez from blasting his way into a room full of sitting-duck soldiers, his crushed fiancée told a Florida TV station.

Hearing gunfire suddenly crackling at close range, Ferguson pushed his weight against two doors as Lopez tried to enter, said Kristen Haley.

Ferguson was shot and killed — but likely saved the other soldiers.

“He held that door shut because it wouldn’t lock,” said Haley, who was nearby when the shooting erupted. “If he wasn’t the one standing there holding those doors closed, that shooter would have been able to get through and shoot everyone else.”

Meanwhile, officials confirmed that Lopez Jr. had an argument with unidentified soldiers on the base that “escalated.” Lt. Gen. Mark Milley would not comment on what sparked the fight or the reports that he snapped over a leave-of-absence form.

Using a gun he purchased at a local store on March 1, Milley said Lopez marched into a base building and opened fire before returning to his car, officials said. He continued to shoot randomly while driving to another building that he also entered and riddled with bullets, officials said.

Authorities credited an unidentified female MP with confronting Lopez during his shooting spree and finally ending the bloody chaos.

The officer found herself just 20 feet from Lopez outside of the second building and fired at a shot at him that missed, Milley said.

After initially raising his arms, Lopez suddenly pointed a gun to his head and fatally shot himself.

Lopez — who posted darkly to Facebook last year that the “devil had taken him” and that he was “full of hatred” — had told superiors that he suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and brain injuries from combat.

But Milley noted there was no evidence he had ever seen live action during tours in Egypt and Iraq. Investigators were evaluating Lopez for mental problems before the attack and said he had been prescribed Ambien to help his sleeping problems.

Lopez was married and had four children, officials said.