US House majority whip in critical condition after being shot at baseball practice
Steve Scalise, among other political figures and aides, was shot when a man opened fire during a baseball practice US politicians in Alexandria, Virginia; suspect has reportedly been killed, while Scalise said to be in critical condition; another person also said to have been shot.
A Washington hospital stated Wednesday evening that US House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, who was shot Wednesday when a gunman opened fire at a baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia, is currently in critical condition following surgery. The assailant, named James Hodgkinson, was reportedly prepared with "a lot of ammo." He fought a gun battle with police before he, too, was shot and later died.
Scalise was among several people wounded when a rifle-wielding attacker fired on Republican lawmakers on a baseball field outside Washington. The attacker was shot and later died.
The hospital said another victim of the shooting is in good condition. It did not identify the victim.
Several people were reportedly wounded, including Louisiana congressman, police and witnesses said.
Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., said several other people also were hit, including two law enforcement officers.
According to an earlier FOX news report, Scalise was shot in the hip, while at least one of his aides was wounded. House Speaker Paul Ryan's office said Scalise's wounds were not believed to be life-threatening and that a member of the security detail was also shot.
Rep. Mike Bishop, R-Mich., said Scalise was standing on second base when he was shot.
"I was looking right at him," Bishop told Detroit radio station WWJ. "He was a sitting duck."
Brooks said the Scalise "crawled into the outfield, leaving a trail of blood."
"We started giving him the liquids, I put pressure on his wound in his hip," Brooks said.
The shooter appeared to be a white male, "a little bit on the chubby side," Representative Mo Brooks told CNN, adding that he only saw the man for a second.
Brooks said he heard 10 to 20 rounds from the gunman's rifle before the security detail returned fire. He said there were 20 to 25 members of team at the practice in Alexandria, Virginia, when the gunfire erupted.
Texas Rep. Joe Barton, still in his baseball uniform, told reporters a shooter came out to the practice and opened fire, shooting at Rep. Trent Kelly, R-Miss., who plays third base.
"He shot at Steve Scalise, our second baseman. He hit Steve Scalise," Barton said, "Scalise's security detail and the Capitol Hill police immediately returned fire, and Alexandria Police also immediately came and began to return fire. They shot the shooter. The security detail saved a lot of lives because they attacked the shooter."
Barton said the shooting lasted 5-10 minutes, and there were dozens if not hundreds of shots fired.
"It was scary," Barton said.
Lawmakers took cover in the dugout. Barton said his son, Jack, got under an SUV.
FBI special agent in charge Tim Slater said it was "too early to say" whether it was an act of terrorism, or whether Scalise was targeted.
After the gunfire stopped, Sen. Flake, of Arizona, said he ran onto the field and also tried to come to Scalise's aide. After medical personnel arrived, he said he retrieved Scalise's phone and made the first call to Scalise's wife to notify her of the shooting. He said he did so to ensure that Mrs. Scalise would not find out about the shooting through the media.
Flake estimated that more than 50 shots were fired.
Scalise, a popular and gregarious lawmaker, is known for his love of baseball and handed out commemorative baseball bats to fellow lawmakers when he secured the No. 3 job of House whip several years ago.
Falisa Peoples was just leaving the YMCA next to the ball field when she saw the shooter open fire.
"He was just very calm. He was just walking and shooting," she said of the man, whom she described as white and wearing a T-shirt and shorts. She said he was using a long gun and exchanging fire with law enforcement officers, one of whom yelled for her to get down.
In a brief interview in a Senate hallway, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, "I think everybody handled it well and things seem to be under control."
Other lawmakers were stunned in the aftermath of the event, which raised questions about the security of members of Congress. While the top lawmakers, including Scalise, have security details, others do not and regularly appear in public without protection. The last time a lawmaker was shot was when Democratic Rep. Gabby Giffords of Arizona was hit in the head and grievously injured while meeting with constituents at a supermarket parking lot in 2011.
Following the Giffords shooting, lawmakers have held fewer open town halls and have been advised to increase security at such events.
