One congressman has been badly wounded in a mass shooting at took place outside a baseball field in Alexandria, Virginia. A group of GOP lawmakers and aides were out early practicing for a charity baseball game when the incident happening early Wednesday morning.
Louisiana House Majority Whip Steve Scalise was shot in the hip and rushed to the hospital after Senator Jeff Flake and another congressman jumped into action to stop the bleeding while on the field. In addition, four other people were injured including a U.S. Capitol Police officer and one of Rep. Roger Williams’ aides.
Photo of Rep. Steve Scalise following shooting at Virginia baseball field during a Congressional baseball practice. pic.twitter.com/PRATI54OrJ
— Josh Caplan (@joshdcaplan) June 14, 2017
The gunman opened fired with a rifle and was then wounded by the police on the scene. Law enforcement told CNN that they believe this was a deliberate attack.
.@HouseDemocrats praying for our @HouseGOP @SenateGOP baseball colleagues after hearing about the horrific shooting. https://t.co/y2HEUaSuzd pic.twitter.com/6HBrlnxtey
— Rep. Ruben J. Kihuen (@RepKihuen) June 14, 2017
Rep. Mo Brooks witnessed the shooting and told CNN, “[Scalise] was dragging his body away from second base to get away from the shooter. He was shot in the hip. I think it was not a life-threatening wound. . .There was no exit wound I could see.” Brooks added he saw the gunman who was “white” but only for a few seconds.
President Trump and Vice President Pence released a statement on the attack. The White House tweeted: “The Vice President and I are aware of the shooting incident in Virginia and are monitoring developments closely. 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.”
Scalise is currently in surgery according to his press secretary.
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