June 14, 2017

Trump: The Gunman Who Attacked Republican Members of Congress Has Died

At least five people were wounded during this morning’s shooting.

A wounded victim is evacuated from a baseball field in the DelRay neighborhood of northern Alexandria after a shooting attack Wednesday morning.Essdras M Suarez/Zuma Press

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Update, 2:55 p.m. EST: MedStar Washington, the hospital treating Rep. Scalise, said that the congressman is in critical condition.

Update, 12:44 p.m. EST:  As reports surfaced that the suspected shooter had been a Bernie Sanders supporter, the Vermont senator spoke from the Senate floor to condemn the shooting. “Violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society and I condemn this action in the strongest possible terms,” he said. 

Update, 11:39 a.m. EST: In a live address from the White House, President Donald Trump said the suspected shooter, James T. Hodgkinson, has died from his injuries. Trump praised the Capitol Police officers who responded to the shooting attack. “Many lives would have been lost if not for the heroic actions of the two Capitol Police officers,” he said.

The president said Rep. Scalise remained in hospital in a stable condition after the attack.  “He’s a patriot and he’s a fighter,” Trump said. “He will recover from this assault.”

Update, 10:50 a.m. EST: The suspected shooter has been identified as James T. Hodgkinson, according to law enforcement officials who spoke to the Washington Post and NBC News.

Previously:

A shooting at a congressional baseball practice in Virginia left multiple people wounded Wednesday morning, reportedly including Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), one of his aides, and Capitol Police officers. The House Majority Whip is in stable condition and undergoing surgery at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, his office said in a statement.

The Alexandria Police Department confirmed that the suspect has been taken into custody. 

“We are deeply saddened by this tragedy,” President Donald Trump said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the members of Congress, their staffs, Capitol Police, first responders, and all others affected.”

Members of Congress who were at the baseball field when gunfire broke spoke to news outlets to give their accounts of the shooting.

“All of a sudden we heard a shot, a very loud shot,” Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) said on CNN. “Everybody thought it sounded like a gun—and then boom, rapid succession after that.”

“He had a rifle of some type,” he added.

“Everybody probably would have died except for the fact that Capitol Police were there,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) told MSNBC’s Morning Joe.

This is a breaking news report. We will update with more information as it becomes available. 

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