Congressman critical after shooting
ALEXANDRIA: Congressman Steve Scalise, the No 3 Republican in the US House of Representatives, was in a critical condition last night after he and three others were shot as they practised for a charity baseball game.
The gunman, who had posted angry messages against President Donald Trump and other Republicans on social media, opened fire on a group of Republican lawmakers and colleagues at a baseball field in Alexandria, Virginia, outside Washington.
Scalise was shot in the left hip, suffering broken bones, injuries to internal organs and severe bleeding.
He underwent surgery, but would need further operations, the MedStar Washington Hospital Centre said.
The gunman, identified as 66-year-old James Hodgkinson, fired repeatedly at the men playing on the baseball field. He was wounded in a gunfight with police at the scene and later died.
A congressional aide and one former aide were wounded, officials said. One Capitol Hill police officer suffered a gunshot wound and another officer twisted an ankle and was discharged from a hospital, police said.
While police and the FBI said it was too early to determine whether it was a deliberate political attack, the shooting intensified concerns about the sharp divide and bitter rhetoric in US politics.
FBI special agent Tim Slater declined to comment on whether the gunman had a vendetta against Republicans: “We continue to actively investigate the shooter’s motives, acquaintances and whereabouts that led to today’s incidents.”
No one else was in custody, he said.
The gunman was believed to have been in the Alexandria area since March, Slater said.
Investigators believe that the suspect had been living out of his vehicle.
Scalise has been a strong opponent of gun control measures.
Hodgkinson had raged against Trump on social media and was a member of anti-Republican groups on Facebook including, “The Road to Hell Is Paved With Republicans”, “Terminate The Republican Party”, and “Donald Trump is not my President”.
The charity ballgame between a Republican team and a Democratic team will go ahead as scheduled today. Trump called for unity. “We are strongest when we are unified and when we work together for the common good,” he said. – Reuters