Updates:
The Latest on the shooting of House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (all times local):
11:47 a.m.
President Donald Trump says the assailant in the congressional shooting has died from his injuries.
Trump said Wednesday morning that the gunman who shot Rep. Steve Scalise, of Louisiana, had died. The assailant has been identified as James T. Hodgkinson.
Scalise was shot at a congressional baseball practice just outside of Washington. Officials said several other people were also wounded. Trump said Scalise “was badly wounded and is now in stable condition.”
Trump praised the “heroic actions” of the Capital Police at the scene.
___
11:20 a.m.
Arkansas-based Tyson Foods Inc. says one of its employees was among those shot at a congressional baseball practice Wednesday.
Tyson spokesman Gary Mickelson identified the wounded employee as Matt Mika. He says Mika was taken to a hospital and that the company is awaiting word on his condition.
Mickelson says Mika is director of government relations for Tyson’s Washington, D.C., office and that he’s worked for the company for more than six years.
He says the company is “deeply concerned” about Mika and his family.
Based in Springdale, Arkansas, Tyson Foods is one of the world’s largest producers of chicken, beef and pork.
___
11:13 a.m.
Rep. Rodney Davis says he never thought he’d go to a baseball practice and “have to dodge bullets.”
Davis, a Republican from Illinois, credited U.S. Capitol Police officers on the scene of Wednesday’s shooting outside Washington D.C. He said had they not been there, it “would have been a massacre.”
Davis was interviewed on CNN, still in his baseball t-shirt, with blood on his elbow and hand.
He said he and other members of Congress fled the dugout as shots were fired, took shelter behind cars and then ran to a nearby apartment building to call police.
Police have not said whether the shooter was intentionally targeting members of Congress. But Davis said, “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that no bullets were fired outside the baseball field.”
___
11:03 a.m.
President Donald Trump will make a statement about the shooting of a top House Republican.
The White House said Trump will make a statement from the Diplomatic Room in the White House at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, was shot by a rifle-wielding gunman Wednesday at a congressional baseball practice just outside of Washington. Officials said several other people were also wounded.
The White House said Trump and Vice President Mike Pence were both notified of the shooting in Alexandria this morning. The President has spoken to Scalise’s wife and chief of staff, as well as House Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the chief of the Capitol Police.
___
11:02
A government official says the suspect in the Virginia shooting that injured Rep. Steve Scalise and several others has been identified as an Illinois man named James. T. Hodgkinson.
The official was not authorized to discuss an investigation by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The FBI and local law enforcement officials say they haven’t identified a motive.
–Contributed by Eric Tucker
___
11:00 a.m.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says it is examining two weapons involved in the shooting at a congressional baseball practice.
The agency says it is working to quickly trace a rifle and a handgun to determine where they were purchased.
It was not immediately clear if the gunman fired both weapons during the attack. An ATF spokeswoman said a trace of the weapons would answer that question.
___
10:54 a.m.
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says the entire Senate is “deeply saddened” over Wednesday’s shooting.
In remarks on Senate floor the Kentucky Republican says senators are concerned for the injured and “will keep them in our prayers” and send wishes for a full recovery.
McConnell expressed gratitude for the Capitol Police officers on the scene as well as other first responders.
McConnell notes that the baseball game is a bipartisan charity event and he encourages the Senate to “embrace that spirit today as we come together in expressing both our concern and our gratitude.”
___
Breaking coverage of Rep. Scalise shooting
House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and a congressional aide were shot by a rifle-wielding gunman who sprayed a hail of bullets at a GOP baseball practice in Virginia Wednesday morning, before U.S. Capitol Police took the gunman down.
Sen. Rand Paul gives an eyewitness account of shooting of Rep. Scalise and an aide: “I do believe that without the Capitol Hill police it would’ve been a massacre.” http://fxn.ws/2srSVPu
Posted by Fox News on Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Scalise was “badly injured,” according to a tweet from President Trump, but expected to recover. A spokesperson from Scalise said he was “stable” and undergoing surgery after being shot in the hip. Five people were “transported medically” from the scene, Alexandria Police Chief Michael Brown said. It appeared that included Scalise, a congressional aide, the gunman and two law enforcement officers — one of whom was hit by fragments.
Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, a true friend and patriot, was badly injured but will fully recover. Our thoughts and prayers are with him.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 14, 2017
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told Fox News: “We were like sitting ducks.”
“Without the Capitol Hill police it would have been a massacre,” Paul said, describing the scene as “sort of a killing field.”
The gunman was shot by Capitol Police and Alexandria Police, apprehended and taken to the hospital, officials said. Sen. Mike Lee told Fox News, however, the gunman was killed. The incident occurred at Simpson Field in Alexandria, about 10 miles from Washington D.C.
Majority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise speaks with the media in May. (AP)
“The vice president and I are aware of the shooting incident in Virginia and are monitoring developments closely,” President Trump said in a statement. “We are deeply saddened by this tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with the members of Congress, their staffs, Capitol Police, first responders and all others affected.”
Trump later tweeted: “Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, a true friend and patriot, was badly injured but will fully recover. Our thoughts and prayers are with him.”
Photo of Rep. Steve Scalise following shooting at Virginia baseball field during a Congressional baseball practice. pic.twitter.com/PRATI54OrJ
— Josh Caplan (@joshdcaplan) June 14, 2017
The Department of Homeland Security was monitoring the episode and the FBI was also involved.
Rep. Roger Williams, R-Tex., was seen being taken from the field on a stretcher, but he was reportedly injured while jumping into the dugout as the shots rang out. Williams’ office released a statement saying a staffer had been shot, however.
“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.
Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., told Fox News he left just before the shooting. As he walked to his car, a man asked DeSantis if it was Republicans or Democrats practicing. About 3 minutes later, at around 7:15 a.m., the shooting began, DeSantis said. It reportedly lasted about 10 minutes.
Related Image
The location of Wednesday’s shooting in Alexandria.
Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, told Fox News he “felt like I was in Iraq, but without my weapon.”
“Behind third base, I see a rifle…I hear Steve Scalise over near 2nd base scream,” Brooks said. “…While all of this is going on, Steve Scalise our whip was lying on the ground near the second base position crawling into right field, leaving a trail of blood.”
Brooks said the gunman was using the dugout as cover and estimated the assailant got off 50-100 shots during the attack on the 15-25 people gathered at the field.
“We were there within 3 minutes,” Brown said. “Two of our officers engaged in gunfire and returned fire.”
Aside from Scalise, Williams, Paul, Brooks, Wenstrup and DeSantis, Sen. Jeff Flake and Reps. Mike Bishop, Jack Bergman, Chuck Fleischmann and Joe Barton were also at the field. A photographer and Bishop’s aides were present, too.
Alexandria schools were placed on lockdown as the incident unfolded. There was an uptick in the police presence around the Capitol, however, the building was still open. There was not expected to be any votes held on Wednesday in light of the shooting.
Scalise, 51, is the House majority whip. He has represented Louisiana’s 1st Congressional District since 2008 and chairs the House Republican Study Committee. He is married with two children. Scalise’s district includes New Orleans.
Since he’s in leadership, Scalise has a security detail.
Scalise, who studied computer science at Louisiana State University, worked as a systems engineer before launching his political career. Scalise endorsed President Trump during last year’s presidential campaign, and has been a vocal backer of Trump’s travel ban. As leader of the powerful study group, he has also spearheaded the effort to repeal and replace ObamaCare.
The Congressional Baseball Game is scheduled for June 15 at Nationals Park. The game, which has been a tradition since 1909, pits Senate and House members of each party who sport the uniform of their home state.