US congressman shot at Republican baseball game

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) – High-ranking Republican congressman Steve Scalise was among five people, including the suspected shooter, who were wounded Wednesday at a Republican baseball team practice in northern Virginia.

President Donald Trump said the suspect, who law enforcement identified as James Hodgkinson, has died from his injuries sustained in a gunfight with police.

Trump said two Capitol Police officers "took down the gunman despite sustaining gun shot wounds during a very, very brutal assault.

"Congressman Scalise is a friend," Trump said at a news conference at the White House, appealing for national unity. "He's a patriot, and he's a fighter."

Police received a call of an active shooter at 7.09 a.m. local time (1109GMT), Alexandria Police Chief Michael Brown told reporters.

Officers arrived at the scene within three minutes and two of them engaged the shooter, Brown said.

Brown confirmed five people had been "transported medically" but did not disclose their identities or the nature of their injuries.

The police chief also refused to confirm whether the shooter was included in those hospitalized.

"This is a stable situation at this point, there is no additional threat. We consider this incident to be a closed incident under investigation," Brown said.

Florida congressman Ron DeSantis told MSNBC an individual approached him as he was on his way out of the area shortly after 7 a.m., and asked for the political affiliation of those practicing on the field, which he confirmed as Republican. 

After initially shrugging off the encounter, DeSantis said he reported it, and said the man who approached him matches social media photographs of Hodgkinson, the 66-year-old suspect identified by police.

Hodgkinson succumbed to his wounds in hospital, according to a joint statement by the FBI, Capitol Police, Alexandria Police, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Social media accounts bearing the same name depict a series of anti-Trump posts in addition to many supportive of Sen. Bernie Sanders, who failed to secure the Democratic nomination in last year's presidential election.

Sanders acknowledged that the suspect had "apparently volunteered" on his campaign, saying the attack "sickened" him.

"Violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society," he said on the Senate floor.

The FBI is investigating the suspect's "potential motivations", according to its joint statement.

Special agent in charge Tim Slater told reporters Hodgkinson's cause of death was determined to be multiple gunshots to the torso.

Hodgkinson had been living out of his vehicle, a white cargo van, since March, Slater said. 

The vehicle was located at the scene of Wednesday's shooting, he added. 

The ATF is investigating two weapons, including a rifle and a handgun, that were recovered at the scene.

Area resident, Nichole Campbell, 38, said she heard about 50 gunshots she initially believed were fireworks, before police told residents of her apartment complex to stay inside.

"It's sad because we just voted yesterday,” she told Anadolu Agency. Virginia voted Tuesday in that state’s primaries for governor.

"This is a tragedy,” Campbell said. "This is a quiet neighborhood."

For Scott, who did not give his last name because of work-related restrictions, the shooting was a surprise. "This neighborhood is about inclusion, this neighborhood is about love, affection and kindness,” he told Anadolu Agency.

He does not have plans to tell his two children, ages 6 and 2, about the shooting. “In such a divisive time this is exactly the kind of neighborhood you want to be in.”

He said at the first sounds of gunfire, he hoped it was construction “but it was evident very, very quickly that was a firefight" that lasted for some time and sounded like a war zone.

Scalise was "shot in the hip" and is "currently undergoing surgery", his office said in a statement, adding he was in stable condition.

"Prior to entering surgery, the Whip was in good spirits and spoke to his wife by phone. He is grateful for the brave actions of U.S. Capitol Police, first responders, and colleagues," the statement said, referring to Scalise’s position in the House of Representatives.

But the hospital treating Scalise and at least one other victim said that the House Whip was brought in to the hospital in "critical" condition, and that his condition has not improved.

The other unidentified patient is in "good condition", MedStar Washington Hospital Center added on Twitter.

One congressman, two Capitol Police officers, a congressional staffer, a lobbyist, and the suspect were sent to area hospitals, law enforcement said. 

A second congressman was treated by medics after sustaining minor injuries.

Congressman Mo Brooks told CNN he heard at least 10 to 20 shots from the shooter, who used a rifle, before security was able to return fire. 

Slater, the FBI special agent in charge of the investigation, told reporters during a news conference it was too early to say whether the incident was an act of terror. "We are exploring all angles,” he said.

Capitol Police Chief Matthew Verderosa said the officers who were shot were "in good condition".

Also present at the news conference was Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe who used the shooting to draw attention to gun control.

"There are too many guns on the streets. We lose 93 Americans every day to gun violence," McAuliffe said. "It is a discussion we need to have."

Despite the tragedy, the congressional baseball game is still scheduled to take place on Thursday.

Major League Baseball said it fully supports the decision to go ahead with the game.

"Both teams have been practicing for weeks in preparation for the game at Nationals Park," commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. 

"We look forward to a full recovery for each of the victims and hope that tomorrow night's game can play a constructive role in the healing process," he added.