HOUSTON - The impact of the latest mass shooting, which happened in Thousand Oaks, Calif. on Wednesday, can be felt here in Houston.
The suspected shooter, Ian David Long, served in the Marine Corps. Authorities told the Associated Press the motive for the Wednesday night attack was under investigation.
The 28-year old Long, a former machine gunner and veteran of the war in Afghanistan, was interviewed by police at his home last spring after an episode of agitated behavior that they were told may be post-traumatic stress disorder.
The PTSD Foundation of America, which is headquartered in Houston, took to Twitter to share this message: "PTSD is not to blame for premeditated murder. We must educate rather than add to the stigma of mental health."
Some Houston veterans looking for a job Thursday morning at the job fair downtown told KHOU 11 they're worried about stigmas linked to their military service.
More than 1,000 veterans showed up to the fair with resumes in hand and walked through Minute Maid Park ready to speak with employers.
The ballpark hosted the annual Texas Workforce Solutions job fair that's specifically for veterans called "Red, White and You."
More than 150 local employers also showed up ready to fill positions.
"It’s exciting. I actually have goose skin," said David Hollis a veteran of the U.S. Navy.
Hollis has been searching for a job for the last four months.
"Door’s open," said the 42-year-old. "Opportunity awaits."
"The reality is there are a lot of veterans that are struggling," said Jennifer Stoller, who served in the Army Corps of Engineers.
Stoller said she enlisted in the military at 17 years old with perfect hearing and came out of the service at 25 with hearing aids in both ears.
Her service dog, Luke, was by her side at the park Thursday as she passed out resumes.
"I don’t like to assume bad about people, but I definitely feel that a lot of employers, they hear service dog, or they hear deaf, or they hear PTSD or they hear veteran, and they kind of leave you outside in the cold, because it’s a lot easier to move to the next person who they don’t have to get an interpreter for," Stoller said. "They don’t have to accommodate, maybe, the mental health needs that some veterans have or the days at the V.A."
For more information on PTSD, visit the PTSD Foundation's website.