Fort Hood shooting suspect Army major

Officials say a shooting suspect at Fort Hood has been identified as Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan, who they say was an Army mental health professional.

A law enforcement official said Hasan, believed to be in his late 30s, was killed after opening fire at the base. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case publicly.

A defense official speaking on condition of anonymity says Hasan was a mental health professional — an Army psychologist or psychiatrist.

It was not known whether he was treating people at the base.

Officials says it was not clear what Hasan's religion was, but investigators are trying to determine if Hasan was his birth name or if he may have changed his name and converted to the Islamic faith at some point.

Who is Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan

According to the AP, Hasan was a psychiatrist at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland for six years before being transferred to the Texas Army Post in July. They also report that according to officials who had access to his military record, Hasan received a poor performance evaluation while at Walter Reed.

Hasan is from Virginia, the AP reports, and was single with no children. He was 39 years old. They report he is a graduate of Virginia Tech University, where he was a member of the ROTC and earned a bachelor's degree in biochemistry in 1997.

According to AP sources, Hasan got his medical degree from the military's Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda in 2001. He also did his internship, residency and fellowship at Walter Reed.

The AP said that officials are trying to determine if Hasan was his birth name, or if he converted to the Islamic faith at some point in his life.