Gunman with rifle targets US legislators

A high-ranking US House of Representatives Republican and at least four others were wounded on Wednesday in a shooting at a congressional baseball practice field in Alexandria, Virginia.

A high-ranking US House of Representatives Republican and at least four others were wounded on Wednesday in a shooting at a congressional baseball practice field in Alexandria, Virginia, witnesses said.

Alexandria police said a suspect was in custody.

House majority whip Steve Scalise was shot in the hip, representative Mo Brooks told CNN after witnessing the shooting.

Brooks said he saw a man with a rifle. A congressional staffer and two members of the legislators’ security detail were also injured, he said.

“There must have been 50, 100 shots fired.”

Brooks said members of the security detail fired back with pistols at the gunman until the man was tackled.

Brad Wenstrup, a Republican congressman who served as a military surgeon in Iraq, attended to Scalise after the gunman was down.

He and other legislators tried to apply a tourniquet with his belt for one injured person, Brooks said.

The House Republican baseball team has been practising in early mornings at the Alexandria field for Thursday’s annual congressional baseball game. Scalise has been an avid participant in the game since arriving in Congress.

Brooks said the assailant “was trying to take out our security detail” before turning on the legislators.