ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA — At least five people were hospitalized after a gunman opened fire on Republican members of the congressional baseball team during a practice session on Wednesday morning, CNN reports. Among those wounded was the majority whip of the House of Representatives, Steve Scalise.
The shooting took began shortly after 7 a.m. when the Republican baseball team was at Eugene Simpson Stadium Park for a scheduled charity game between Republicans and Democrats on Thursday.
According to the New York Times, the gunman, armed with a rifle, gave no warning before firing over 50 shots into the baseball field. He was later identified as 66-year-old James T. Hodgkinson from Illinois.
Two Capitol Police officers who were part of Rep. Steve Scalise’s security detail began returning fire while others sought protection on the field. Alexandria police arrived the scene within minutes.
The Washington Post cited witnesses who said the shooter was then pinned face-down on the pavement behind the third-base dugout by police. Authorities later said the suspect was killed in the shootout.
Hodgkinson’s alleged Facebook page features a banner image of Senator Bernie Sanders and he is said to have campaigned for Sanders in Iowa last year. He also reportedly described Trump as a “traitor” in one of the Facebook posts. The Facebook page has become unavailable since the shooting.
Rep. Scalise was in critical condition after undergoing surgery. Two Capitol Police officers who exchanged fire with the gunman were also injured.
Officials recovered two firearms at the scene, an SKS rifle 7.62 and a 9 mm pistol, CNN reported authorities as saying. The SKS rifle is reportedly a Chinese-made variant of the AK.
