From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA –A gunman who has been identified as James T. Hodgkinson, 66, of Illinois, opened fire on Republican legislators Wednesday morning as they were holding a baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia, according to FOX News.
House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and a congressional aide were among those hit by gunfire. Scalise was badly injured, but is said to be in stable condition following surgery. As many as five were transported for medical attention including two law enforcement officers.
Alabama congressmen Gary Palmer and Mo Brooks were present, but uninjured.
“I was on the field 20 yards away from the shooter,” Palmer said via social media. “I am okay. Please join me in praying for Steve Scalise and the others who were injured.”
Capitol police shot the gunman. President Donald Trump confirmed that the shooter was dead.
“We were like sitting ducks,” Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told Fox News. “Without the Capitol Hill police it would have been a massacre”
According to FOX News, Rand described the scene as a “killing field.”
The FBI is leading the investigation, but said it was too early to know if the attack is terror related.
“Finally, the shooter was shot behind home plate as he was circling around to the first base dugout where there were a number of US congressmen and other folks,” Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., told FMTALK1065. “Our security detail was able to incapacitate him at that point. I don’t know if he [the shooter] was dead. He was wounded. I don’t know how many times he was wounded.”
Brooks reportedly used a belt as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding of an aide who was shot in the leg.
The Chicago Sun-Times published a photo of Hodgkinson, the alleged shooter, at a protest carrying a sign that said, “Tax the rich.”
18 Comments
Gail Smith Wright
How did the shooter even know about the baseball game? There HAS to be someone on the onside with info. I wish the gunman had not been killed. Perhaps we could have found out for sure exactly WHO was behind this horrible act….as of we don’t already know. I guess every Republican in office is going to have to be looking over their shoulders now because the “other side” just cannot accept that they lost!
Betty Gilchrist Penuel
Why wasn’t there security in the parking lot to keep people from coming in????
David Graves
Congress has had an annual baseball game for 108 years, the locations are pretty public knowledge at this point. There’s no conspiracy here, just a nutjob.
Gail Smith Wright
I hope you’re right.
Cindy Buckner
They said he had stood outside a building across the street the past few weeks watching them. He was a Bernie supporter and a wack job it seems.
Shirl Turner Braswell
So sorry that this happened. Violence is never okay.
Gail Smith Wright
David Graves , I just heard on the news that the shooter walked up to one of the people at the practice and asked whether the players were Republican or Democrat. The person he asked then innocently replied that they were Republican. The shooter then started shooting them. The shooter was a staunch Bernie Sanders supporter. Such a shame.
Richard Norton
Mental illness, ugliness, and hatred are shared across the board. No one group has a monopoly on decency.
Patrick Reaves
So a crazy terrorist shoots up a ballgame and y’all want to blame Hilary/Bernie/Democrats? K.
Savannah Shortnacy
Seems they forgot all the white supremacist Trump supporters.
Scott Reed
He definitely wanted to kill Republicans. He ask if they were Republican or Democrat before he started shooting.
Kathrina Alexander
He was a volunteer on Bernie Sanders’ campaign and his social media pages were full of anti-Trump rhetoric. I don’t think they are reaching on this one.
Patrick Reaves
Kathrina Alexander you still can’t blame Hilary, Bernie, or the Democrats as a whole. This is the sole action of one white terrorist. That is all.
Briana Moore
No, but you can blame their cronies in the media with their stirring the pot of hatred.
Patrick Reaves
Yes lets blame everyone BUT the shooter. Trump literally called for 2nd amendment people to shoot Hilary if she was elected. So if you want to blame media cronies, also blame your dill hole of a President.
Jacob Allen Hudson
I find it odd that ever since the left had been saying we need to resist and rise up, ANTIFA militias rising up and a play that was ran directed and acted by democrats showing trump being stabbed to death then this happens. I blame the left. they started this
Jacob Allen Hudson
and trump never said to shoot Hilary lmao. hahahaha.
Patrick Reaves
Jacob Allen Hudson receipts. https://youtu.be/s8UAOV11dOg