At least one Republican Congressman received a gunshot wound when a gunman opened fire during baseball practice among congressmen on Wednesday morning in the North of Virginia, said other congressmen, who were witnesses of the incident.
What do we know
The shooter attacked the congressional Republicans early Wednesday morning near the Park stadium Eugene Simpson in Alexandria, during their training in anticipation of the annual charity baseball game. The game — inter-match between the representatives of Democrats and Republicans in Congress — was scheduled for Thursday night.
Alexandria police confirmed that the Secretary of the parliamentary majority Scales Steve (Steve Scalise), a Republican from Louisiana, was wounded in the thigh. According to the statement of the Cabinet of Scalise, on Wednesday morning he had surgery at the Washington medical center and MedStar is now in stable condition.
Republican Mo Brooks (Mo Brooks), a representative of Alabama, who witnessed the incident, used his belt as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding from the victim, he told CNN. He said that Republican brad Wenstrup (Brad Wenstrup) — Congressman from Ohio and a doctor — took care of Scalise.
The police confirmed that injured several people. Senator Jeff Flake (Jeff Flake), the Senator from Arizona, told CNN that he had been injured at least one employee of the Capitol police. Zachary Barth (Barth Zachary), an employee of the staff of the Congressman from Texas, Republican Roger Williams (Roger Williams) wrote in Facebook that also was among the wounded, but is now “in the hospital and in good condition”.
Five people, including the gunman, were placed in the local hospital, told the chief of police of Alexandria Michael brown (Michael Brown). Two victims were sent to University hospital George Washington. Both are in critical condition, said Susan Griffiths (Susan Griffiths), assistant Director of hospital marketing and public relations. The hospital does not disclose the identity of the patients.
Call about the shooting came into police about 7:09 a.m., and three minutes later, according to brown’s staff were at the scene. According to Brooks, he heard about 50 shots.
Brooks had described the shooter as a white person, a middle-aged man with a rifle.
The suspect is in custody, said crystal Nosal from the Department of public information of the police of Alexandria.
Two local police officers shot the assailant, said Michael brown. Two members of the Capitol police who were at the scene, together with members of Congress, also participated in the shootout with the assailant, the statements of the chief of police of the Capitol Matthew Verderosa (Matthew Verderosa).
The investigation has taken the FBI, said Tim Slater (Tim Slater), a special agent of the Washington office of the Bureau. “It’s too early to tell” about the motives of the shooter, he said during the meeting with journalists and added that he believes that it was attempted murder.
Eyewitnesses, including Senator Rand Paul (Republican from Kentucky) and Senator Jeff Flake, spoke about the actions of the Capitol police. “If they hadn’t been there, it would be mass murder,” said one of the witnesses live on MSNBC after the shooting.
Republican Jeff Duncan (Congressman from South Carolina), who left early with a workout, wrote on Facebook that he had seen the shooter before the attack and plans to submit a statement to the police (it is unclear whether the rights of Duncan, believing that it was talking with the gunman: his description of the attacker does not coincide with the description given by another witness).
What we don’t know
— The exact number of wounded and severity of wounds;
— The state of the alleged shooter;
— His identity;
— The motives of the shooter are still unclear. Republican Ron DeSantis (Ron DeSantis, Florida), who left the field for a few minutes before the gunman opened fire, told Fox News that a man approached a group of people and asked who the Democrats or the Republicans are playing on the field.
It’s unclear if this man is the fact who did the shooting. Republican Jeff Duncan told his colleagues that he was talking with the gunman. According to Duncan, he asked him whether the Republicans are practicing on the field. However, apparently, the clothing description of the alleged shooter does not coincide with the testimony of other witnesses.
