Shooter targets Republican congressmen at Alexandria baseball practice, 5 injured - UPDATES

RT
Wed, 14 Jun 2017 15:35 UTC

© Joshua Roberts / Reuters

Police investigate a shooting scene after a gunman opened fire on Republican members of Congress during a baseball practice.

Five people were injured when a gunman opened fire on US congressmen at a baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia. Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana), the US House of Representatives Majority Whip, is among the injured.

Alexandria police say that a suspect is in custody and is "not a threat".

All votes scheduled for Wednesday in the House of Representatives have been canceled. President Donald Trump has also canceled this afternoon's speech at the Department of Labor.

A 911 call about an active shooter came in around 7:09 am local time, Alexandria Police Chief Michael Brown told reporters, adding that his units responded within three minutes.

The FBI is taking the lead on the investigation, but will work with state and local authorities, Special Agent Tim Slater said. It is "too early to say" if this was an act of political terrorism, Slater added.

"It's not an assassination attempt," he said at first, but walked that comment back when asked for clarification, saying, "we are not sure at this moment."

Injured officers were in "good condition," said Capitol Police Chief Matthew Verderosa, adding that they "acted heroically."

Governor Terry McAuliffe commended the heroic actions of Capitol Police and Alexandria officers, adding, "There are too many guns on the streets."

Scalise was in stable condition and undergoing surgery, his office said in a statement earlier on Wednesday. Shortly after 11 am, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy told reporters Scalise was out of surgery and "doing well."

One congressional aide, two police officers, and the gunman are also among the injured, according to reports. Officials declined to confirm or deny that information.

While none of the officials at the press conference would give details on the injured or the shooter, the Washington Post cited law enforcement sources to identify the attacker as James T. Hodgkinson, 66, of Belleville, Illinois.

Fox News reporter Chad Pergram says a gunman armed with a rifle attacked the group near a YMCA, firing dozens of shots. Alexandria is just south of Washington, DC.

Chief Brown said five people were taken to hospital following the incident, but declined to identify the victims or the suspect.

Scalise is currently the Majority Whip in the US House of Representatives and represents Louisiana's 1st congressional district.

Speaking on CNN, Representative Mo Brooks (R-Alabama) said Scalise was shot with a semi-automatic weapon. Brooks said he saw a man with a gun "blasting away." Scalise's Capitol Police security detail returned fire.

Rep. Brooks reportedly used a belt as a tourniquet to stop Scalise's bleeding.

This is the first time a member of Congress has been shot since 2011, when Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Arizona) survived an assassination attempt at a town hall in Tucson.

White House Press secretary Sean Spicer said on Twitter that both President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are aware of the "developing situation".

There are also reports that two police officers who were hospitalized after the shooting are also stable.

Scalise and other members of Congress were practicing for a charity baseball game scheduled for Thursday. Reuters is reporting that 15-25 lawmakers were at the baseball field when the attack occurred, along with a dozen staff members and security personnel.

The annual congressional baseball game, which sees senators and congressmen from each party face off against one another, has been a tradition since 1909.

Congressman Ron DeSantis (R-Florida), who left the scene moments before the shooting, told Fox News that a man walked up to him as he was walking to his car and asked if it was "Republicans or Democrats out there."

Congressman Mark Walker (R-North Carolina), told NBC News it seemed the "gunman was there to kill as many Republican members as possible."

Rep. Mike Bishop (R-Michigan) told WWJ radio that he witnessed Scalise being shot: "He was a sitting duck."

A witness told journalist Will Drabold that he heard a "wave of gunfire" and saw 10-15 people flee the field. He said he also saw men returning fire from behind what looked to him like a federal vehicle.

"The Vice President and I are aware of the shooting incident in Virginia and are monitoring developments closely," President Trump said in a statement. "We are deeply saddened by this tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with the members of Congress, their staffs, Capitol Police, first responders, and all others affected."

Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) was also at the baseball field. Speaking to MSNBC, he said "it would have been a massacre" if the Capitol Police security had not been at the scene.

Scalise, 51, has been a congressman since 2008. His leadership position among congressional Republicans means that he is entitled to a security detail.

US Capitol Police released a statement to congressional offices saying that they have deployed a "robust" police presence throughout the Capitol complex. However, they said that all buildings within the area are open in accordance with routine operations.

Comment: More details from Zerohedge

Michigan Rep. Mike Bishop tells WWJ Newsradio 950 he was attending the practice around 5:30 a.m., just outside of Alexandria, when shots rang out. He said he and his colleagues were "sitting ducks."

"As we were standing here this morning, a gunman walked up to the fence line and just began to shoot. I was standing at home plate and he was in the third base line," Bishop said. "He had a rifle that was clearly meant for the job of taking people out, multiple casualties, and he had several rounds and magazines that he kept unloading and reloading."

More than 50 shots were fired, according to CBS News, with some accounts putting the number closer to 100. Four people were injured, including two Capitol Hill police officers and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise. The suspect was also shot.

"The only reason why any of us walked out of this thing, by the grace of God, one of the folks here had a weapon to fire back and give us a moment to find cover. We were inside the backstop and if we didn't have that cover by a brave person who stood up and took a shot themselves, we would not have gotten out of there and every one of us would have been hit — every single one of us," said Bishop. "He was coming around the fence line and he was looking for all of us who had found cover in different spots. But if we didn't have return fire right there, he would have come up to each one of us and shot us point-blank."

Bishop was uninjured. General Jack Bergman, who represents northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, and John Moolenaar, from Midland, were also at the practice; both uninjured. Democratic members of Congress were practicing at a different field, miles away.

"Two of our staff was hit, Steve Scalise was hit on second base, I watched him get hit and I couldn't do anything to help him. We tried to get him off as fast as we could but this guy was relentless with his fire," he said. "One of our staffers got hit in the chest and I pray for him, I just don't know what the outcome is going to be. This is a tragic situation and frankly, it's changed everything as I know it forever."

A suspect, who received at least one gunshot, is believed to be in custody. Bishop said the man didn't speak a word.

"He stood there silently. None of us saw him walk up," he said. "One of our coaches had his son, his 11-year-old son — I have an 11-year-old son, too, who's supposed to be here — and I am just, I can't even tell you, I don't know. Fortunately everybody's OK. It's just traumatic."

* * *

Eyewitness Joseph Miscavige captured the aftermath of the shooting, showing bullet holes in nearby windows: "Active shooter situation during this mornings trip to the Y. Terrifying. Am ok. Sheltered in place & under lockdown."

President Trump has just confirmed that Hodgkinson has died from wounds incurred during his shootout with the Capitol Police this morning.

Update: Video released of the shooting:

Dramatic video has emerged showing the moment a man opened fire on GOP congressmen at a Virginia baseball field, injuring five people, including House majority whip Steve Scalise.

More than two dozen shots can be heard in the video, which was filmed by eyewitness Noah Nathan. His video contains graphic language.

"Do we know where he's at?" Nathan says to a person off-camera, in reference to the gunman's location.

"I assume people have been calling 911 already," he added.

At one point, a man is seen lying in the middle of the baseball field, located in Alexandria, Virginia.

"Is that guy ok out there? The guy... who's been shot. Is he ok? Is anybody talking to him?" Nathan asks.

Numerous gunshots continue to be heard, with several short breaks between firings.

People are seen huddled around the man lying on the baseball field at the end of the video, while sirens are heard in the background.

Nathan told the New York Post that he filmed the video from the dog park next to Eugene Simpson Stadium Park, where the GOP congressmen were practicing.

He said he was more "pissed off than scared" during the attack.

Five people were injured in the attack, including House majority whip Steve Scalise, who was loaded into a helicopter on a stretcher. He is in critical condition after undergoing surgery.

The shooter later died from his injuries in hospital, according to a tweet from President Donald Trump.

Although authorities at the press conference declined to identify the shooter, the Washington Post identified him as 66-year-old James T. Hodgkinson of Belleville, Illinois, citing law enforcement sources.

Update: Scalise in Critical Condition After Shooting Attack

US Congressman Steve Scalise is in critical condition after being shot in the hip while practicing with the congressional Republican baseball team on Wednesday in Alexandria, Virginia, MedStar Washington Hospital Center said in a statement.

"Rep. Scalise was critically injured and remains in critical condition," the hospital stated in a Twitter message.

​The Louisiana congressman was among five people who were shot when a gunman opened fire on their practice field. Two of the five were Capitol Police who were wounded in an exchange of gunfire with the shooter. The shooter, who has died from his injuries, has been identified as James T. Hodgkinson, 66, of Illinois.

Matt Mika of Tyson Foods, another one of those injured in the shooting, is also in critical condition and is in surgery, according to a statement from his family. Mika was shot multiple times, his family was told.