GOP Rep. Steve Scalise is in critical condition after shooting; assailant has died
GOP Rep. Steve Scalise is in critical condition after shooting; assailant has died ·CNBC
Jacob Pramuk
Updated
A gunman opened fire at a congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia, on Wednesday, wounding multiple people, including the third-ranking House Republican.
Majority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise was shot in the hip. He underwent surgery at Medstar Washington Hospital Center and is in critical condition. Earlier, a statement from his office characterized his condition as stable.
Two U.S. Capitol Police officers — who House Speaker Paul Ryan identified as Crystal Griner and David Bailey — were wounded amid the shooting. Capitol Police Chief Matthew Verderosa said in a statement that Griner is in "good condition in the hospital after getting shot in the ankle" and that Bailey was "treated and released" following a "minor" injury.
"Had they not been there, it would have been a massacre," eyewitness Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who took cover behind a tree amid the shooting, said of the Capitol Police. The officers were present because Scalise is a member of the congressional leadership.
Ryan named the others shot: Tyson Foods lobbyist Matt Mika and Zack Barth, a staffer for Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas. Mika was transported to a hospital and remains in critical condition following surgery, according to a Tyson Foods spokesman.
Barth was hospitalized and released, according to Williams. Williams also injured his ankle while diving for cover.
Several GOP congressmen and at least two Republican senators attended the practice, Paul told MSNBC. They were preparing for an annual bipartisan charity baseball game set to take place on Thursday at Nationals Park. That game will go on as scheduled.
South Carolina Republican Rep. Jeff Duncan told CNBC that he was approached by a man Wednesday morning who asked him whether the people practicing on the field were Democrats or Republicans. Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., who was with Duncan at the time, later told CNBC that the pair saw pictures of Hodgkinson and believe it was the same person who stopped them with the question.
It is too early to tell if the shooting was a targeted attack, said Tim Slater, a special agent in charge of the FBI's Washington field office.
Scalise dragged himself into outfield
The shooting started shortly after 7 a.m., ET, and witnesses described Hodgkinson's weapon as a rifle. Paul said he heard a first, "isolated" shot followed by a "rapid succession" of five to 10 shots.
"We are very fortunate. It could have been a whole lot worse," he said.
Capitol Police and Alexandria police officers who responded to the scene exchanged fire with the shooter, according to Verderosa. Witnesses described dozens of shots ringing out before the firing stopped.
Brooks told CNN that he saw Scalise drag himself from second base into the outfield after he was shot, leaving a trail of blood 10 to 15 yards long. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., told reporters Scalise lay by himself for "at least 10 minutes," as people could not get to him amid the shooting.
"I wanted to get to him but there were still shots going overhead from both sides," he said.
People helped an injured aide in the first base dugout, Flake later told MSNBC. They also made sure Texas Rep. Joe Barton's 10-year-old son, who attended the practice, got to safety.
Barton teared up later Wednesday when he said he felt that his son "had 25 dads. Everybody out there was looking out for him."
When they could make it to Scalise, Rep. Brad Wenstrup of Ohio, a former combat surgeon, applied pressure to the wound, Flake said. Wenstrup told CBS News that he "felt like [he] was back in Iraq."
Trump said the Capitol Police officers "took down the gunman."
Scalise was coherent throughout, according to Flake. The senator said he called Scalise's wife so she did not hear about the shooting on the news first.
Scalise's condition was critical and he would require further operations, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, a level one trauma center, said in a statement late Wednesday.
"Scalise sustained a single rifle shot to the left hip. The bullet travelled across his pelvis, fracturing bones, injuring internal organs, and causing severe bleeding," the statement said, noting that the congressman had immediate surgery and an additional procedure to stop bleeding.
Politicians react
Officials delayed or canceled many House hearings scheduled for Wednesday. The Senate chamber also canceled votes for the day, according to multiple reports.
After the shooting, Trump called for unity.
"We may have our differences, but we do well in times like these to remember that everyone who serves in our nation's capital is here because, above all, they love our country. We can all agree that we are blessed to be Americans ... and that we are strongest when we are unified and when we work together for the common good," the president said.
He called Scalise a "patriot" and a "fighter."
Trump visited Scalise in the hospital on Wednesday evening.
In a statement to the House on Wednesday, Ryan praised the Capitol Police officers and also called for unity.
"An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us," Ryan said, drawing a standing ovation.
Rep. Ruben Kihuen, D-Nev., shared a photo of Democrats at their baseball practice praying for the Republicans.
— CNBC's Katie Little and Jeff Daniels contributed to this report.
