GOP lawmaker wounded in shooting undergoes surgery

WASHINGTON— House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, grievously wounded in a shooting at a baseball practice last month, underwent surgery for infection and remains in serious condition in the intensive care unit at a Washington hospital, the medical facility said Thursday.

The six-term Louisiana congressman and thirdranking House Republican “tolerated the procedure well,” MedStar Washington Hospital Center said in a statement after the surgery for management of the infection, one of several operations that Scalise has undergone.

The lawmaker had been readmitted to the intensive care unit, the hospital said late Wednesday, and his condition was downgraded to serious.

Scalise and four other people were injured June 14 when a gunman opened fire on a Republican baseball practice in nearby Alexandria, Va.

U.S. Capitol Police and other officers returned fire and killed the gunman. James Hodgkinson, the rifle-wielding attacker, had nursed grievances against President Donald Trump and the GOP. Two police officers were injured.

The 51-year-old congressman was struck in the hip and the bullet tore into blood vessels, bones and internal organs. He has had several surgeries and had been upgraded to fair condition.

The shooting in the Virginia suburb that critically wounded Scalise and injured several others has forced members of Congress to examine their security arrangements to determine if they are sufficient.

The police were at the ballfield in Virginia because Scalise is the majority whip and a member of the House leadership. Other members of Congress are not afforded the same security as congressional leaders.