Attack leaves D.C. in shock
Lawmaker critically injured; gunman dies In aftermath, calls to unite — and play ball
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A rifle-wielding attacker opened fire on Republican lawmakers as they practiced for a charity baseball game Wednesday, critically wounding House GOP Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana and hitting aides and Capitol police as congressmen and others dived for cover.
The assailant, who had nursed grievances against President Donald Trump and the GOP, fought a running gunbattle with police before he, too, was shot and later died.
Colleagues said Scalise had been fielding balls at second base at a local park in Alexandria, just across the Potomac River from the nation’s capital, as the Republicans practiced for their annual game with Democrats.
Scalise dragged himself away from the infield leaving a trail of blood before fellow lawmakers could rush to his aid. He was listed in critical condition, but his office said that before he underwent surgery for a wound in his hip he was in good spirits and spoke with his wife by telephone.
The shooter was identified as James T. Hodgkinson, a 66-year-old home inspector from Illinois who had several minor run-ins with the law in recent years and belonged to a Facebook group called “Terminate the Republican Party.” He had been living out
ATTACK
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and congressional leaders called for unity Wednesday after a gunman attacked an American tradition — the congressional baseball game — in a deadly ambush on the Republican team’s practice that stunned the nation’s capital.
Congress suspended daily activities and Trump canceled afternoon events as officials paused to focus on the victims of the shooting by an Illinois man who was shot in an exchange of gunfire with U.S. Capitol Police and later died of his injuries.
“We are united in our shock. We are united in our anguish,” House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-wis., said in an emotional speech to lawmakers after a prayer for those hurt in the hail of gunfire.
“An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us,” Ryan said, prompting a standing ovation from Republican and Democratic lawmakers.
At the White House, Trump responded quickly with a call for unity.
“We may have our differences, but we do well in times like these to remember that everyone who serves in our nation’s capital is here because, above all, they love our country,” Trump said.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-CA
AFTERMATH
The arena can only hold some of the smaller schools’ graduations. Anywhere between 500 and 550 students graduating is a good number. More than that and they start to run out of seats for parents and family members.
of his van in the Alexandria area in recent months, the FBI said.
Capitol Police officers who were in Scalise’s security detail wounded the shooter. He later died of his injuries, Trump told the nation from the White House.
“Everyone on that field is a public servant,” Trump said. “Their sacrifice makes democracy possible.”
Lawmakers noted their good fortune in having armed protectors on hand — “Thank God,” they exclaimed over and over — and said otherwise the shooter would have been able to take a huge deadly toll.
Calls for unity
The events left the capital horrified and stunned and prompted reflection on the current hostility and vitriol in American politics. Lawmakers called for a new dialogue on lowering the partisan temperature, and Trump urged Americans to come together as he assumed the role of national unifier.
Trump later visited the hospital where Scalise was recovering. The president then tweeted: “Rep. Steve Scalise, one of the truly great people, is in very tough shape — but he is a real fighter. Pray for Steve!”
Proceedings were canceled for the day in the House, and instead Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California issued their own calls for unity.
Shortly after the shooting, Bernie Sanders, the former candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, said on the Senate floor that the shooter possibly was a volunteer for his campaign last year. Sanders said he denounced the violence “in the strongest possible terms.”
Scalise, 51, the No. 3 House Republican leader, was first elected in 2008. The popular and gregarious lawmaker is known for his love of baseball, and he handed out commemorative bats when he secured the job of House whip several years ago.
Texas Rep. Roger Williams said that one of his aides, Zack Barth, was shot but was doing well and was expected to fully recover. Two Capitol Police officers suffered relatively minor injuries. A former congressional aide was hospitalized.
Security detail praised
The shooting occurred at a popular park and baseball complex where Republican lawmakers and others were gathered for a morning practice about 7 a.m. They were in good spirits despite the heat and humidity as they prepared for the annual congressional baseball match that pits Republicans against Democrats.
The popular annual face-off, which raises money for charity, is scheduled for Thursday evening at Nationals Park across the Potomac River in Washington, and will go forward.
Hodgkinson has been in the area since March, living out of his van, said Washington FBI Special Agent In Charge Tim Slater. Democratic former Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille said he had spoken often with the man on recent mornings at the nearby YMCA.
Hodgkinson’s Facebook page included criticism of Republicans and the Trump administration. But Slater said authorities were still working to determine a motive and had no indication Hodgkinson knew about the baseball practice ahead of time.
The GOP lawmakers’ team was taking batting practice when gunshots rang out and chaos erupted.
After Scalise was hit, said Rep. Mo Brooks, an Alabama Republican, the congressman “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 gunman had a rifle and “a lot of ammo,” said Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, who was at the practice.
Texas Rep. Joe Barton, still in his baseball uniform, told reporters that Scalise’s security detail, Capitol Hill police and then Alexandria police returned fire in a battle that lasted as long as 10 minutes and included dozens of shots.
“The security detail saved a lot of lives,” he said. “It was scary.”
Lawmakers took cover in the dugout. Barton said his son, Jack, got under an SUV.
Texas Rep. Mike Conaway described what sounded like an explosion, then lawmakers scattering off the field as police roamed in search of the gunman and engaged him.
“The guy’s down to a handgun, he dropped his rifle, they shoot him, I go over there, they put him in handcuffs,” Conaway said, adding that if the shooter had “gotten inside the fence, where a bunch of guys were holed up in the dugout, it would have been like shooting fish in a barrel.”
Parking lot encounter
Rep. Jeff Duncan of South Carolina said he had just left the practice and encountered the gunman in the parking lot before the shooting. The man calmly asked which party’s lawmakers were practicing, and Duncan told him they were the Republicans. The man thanked him.
The wounded Capitol Police officers were identified as David Bailey, who was treated for a minor injury, and Crystal Griner, who was shot in the ankle.
Also wounded was former congressional aide Matt Mika, who now works for Tyson Foods in its Washington office. Mika’s family said the lobbyist was shot multiple times and was in critical condition after surgery.