CRIME

GOP Lawmaker Among Five Shot At Congressional Baseball Shooting

Republican Congressman Steve Scalise was shot in the hip and suffered an injury that was said not to be fatal

CRIME
Police and emergency vehicles at the scene of the shooting — AFP/Getty Images
Jun 14, 2017 at 8:15 AM ET

GOP Majority Whip Steve Scalise and two Capital Police officers were reportedly among the five injured in a shooting early Wednesday morning at a congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, VA, about ten miles south of Washington D.C.

Reports said that Scalise was shot in the hip in injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening.

President Donald Trump tweeted that Scalise “was badly injured but will fully recover.”

The suspected lone gunman was reportedly shot by police and transferred to the hospital.

Alexandria Police Chief Michael Brown said that police arrived to the scene in three minutes and that “at this point, there is no additional threat.” He added that they would not identify the victims of the attack before they were able to interview all witnesses to the event.

Trump wrote in a statement that he and Vice President Mike Pence were “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.”

About 50 shots were fired around 7:30 am at the baseball field near the Y.M.C.A. where members of a congressional team regularly practice, a congressional official said.

“It looks like only one shooter, so you’ve gotta assume he knew what he was doing,” Republican Senator Jeff Flake told reporters at the scene, who added that two members of Scalise’s security detail were among those shot.

“I can tell you with absolute certainty nobody would have survived without the Capital Police. It would have been a massacre without them,” Republican Senator Rand Paul, who was also at the baseball practice, told CNN.

Congressman Mo Brooks told CNN that the shooter “appeared to be a white male…if I had to guess, middle aged.”

“I don’t know if [the suspect] was killed, but I tell you I don’t have any kind thoughts about the shooter so let’s leave it at that,” said Brooks.

This is a developing story, please check back for updates.