Gunman attacks Republican congressmen

Gunman attacks Republican congressmen June 15, 2017

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Seventeen Republican congressmen, two senators, and various staffers, family members, and friends (26 in all) were practicing in an Alexandria park for the annual congressional baseball game.  (After the jump, see the complete list of who was there.)

A man approached, asking a departing lawmaker if the group were Democrats or Republicans.  He then went to the ball field, took out a rifle, and started shooting.

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana) was critically injured.  So was lobbyist Matt Mika.  Also wounded were Zachary Barth, a staffer for Rep. Roger Williams, and two Capitol Police officers, David Bailey and Krystal Griner.

Though wounded, the officers–who were only there because Rep. Scalise as a House leader had a security detail–shot and killed the gunman.  If it weren’t for them, said Sen. Rand Paul who was on the field, it would have been a “massacre.”

The shooter was James T. Hodgkinson, 66, from Belleville, Illinois, was a liberal activist who posted on his FaceBook account, “It’s time to destroy Trump and company.” Details, including his various affiliations, can be found at Smoking Gun. 

 

Photo by  Zennie Abraham,  Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), Flickr, Creative Commons License

From Lawmaker Steve Scalise critically injured in GOP baseball shooting; gunman James T. Hodgkinson dies in custody – The Washington Post:

A man unleashed a barrage of gunfire Wednesday at a park in Alexandria, Va., as Republican members of Congress held a morning baseball practice, wounding five people, including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (La.).

President Trump said the gunman — identified by multiple law enforcement officials as James T. Hodgkinson III, 66, from Illinois — died after a shootout with police officers, two of whom were wounded in the gun battle.

Scalise remained in critical condition as of Wednesday afternoon, according to MedStar Washington Hospital Center, where he and another victim were being treated.

The wounded also include a congressional aide, lobbyist and the two Capitol Police officers.

As people offered prayers for the victims, a profile began to emerge of Hodgkinson, a onetime home inspector. A Facebook page believed to be his includes pictures of 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and rhetoric against President Trump, including a post that reads: “Trump is a Traitor. Trump Has Destroyed Our Democracy. It’s Time to Destroy Trump & Co.”

[Keep reading. . .]

From ABC:

Present during the shooting

  • House Majority Whip Steve Scalise
  • Capitol Police officer
  • Capitol Police officer
  • Rep. Roger Williams
  • Williams’ staffer Zach Barth
  • Rep. Joe Barton
  • Barton’s chief of staff, Ryan Thompson
  • Barton’s sons, Jack and Brad
  • Rep. Steve Pearce
  • Rep. Mo Brooks
  • Sen. Rand Paul
  • Rep. Brad Wenstrup
  • Rep. Ron DeSantis
  • Sen. Jeff Flake
  • Rep. Chuck Fleischmann
  • Rep. Barry Loudermilk
  • Rep. Jeff Duncan
  • Rep. Trent Kelly
  • Rep. John Moolenaar
  • Rep. Gary Palmer
  • Rep. Mike Bishop
  • Rep. Jack Bergman
  • Rep. Mike Conaway
  • Rep. Rodney Davis
  • Matt Mika
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