Shots at lawmakers shake D.C.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- A rifle-wielding attacker opened fire on Republican lawmakers as they practiced for a charity baseball game Wednesday, wounding House GOP Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana and hitting an aide, a lobbyist and a Capitol police officer as congressmen and others dove for cover.

The assailant, identified as James Hodgkinson, a 66-year-old home inspector from Belleville, Ill., fought a running gunbattle with police before he, too, was shot and later died.

Hodgkinson had voiced grievances against President Donald Trump and the GOP. He had several minor run-ins with the law in recent years and belonged to a Facebook group called Terminate the Republican Party.

Capitol Police officers who were in Scalise's security detail wounded the shooter, who was taken into custody. He later died of his injuries, Trump told the nation from the White House.

"Everyone on that field is a public servant," Trump said. "Their sacrifice makes democracy possible."

Lawmakers noted their good fortune in having armed protectors on hand and said otherwise the shooter would have been able to take a huge deadly toll.

Scalise, 51, was listed in critical condition Wednesday night with a single gunshot wound in the hip. The bullet tore through his pelvis, fracturing bones, injuring internal organs and causing severe bleeding, according to MedStar Washington Hospital Center. The hospital said he will require several more operations.

Earlier in the day, Scalise's office said he was in good spirits and spoke with his wife by telephone before undergoing initial surgeries.

Across the Potomac River in Washington, the events left the Capitol horrified and stunned. Lawmakers called for a new dialogue on lowering the partisan temperature, and Trump urged Americans to come together as he assumed the role of national unifier for one of the first times in his presidency.

Proceedings were canceled for the day in the House, and instead Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California issued their own calls for unity. "An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us," Ryan said, to prolonged applause.

"We do not shed our humanity when we enter this chamber," Ryan said. "For all the noise and all the fury, we are one family."

Shortly after the shooting, Bernie Sanders, the former candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, said on the Senate floor that the shooter apparently was a volunteer for his campaign last year.

"I am sickened by this despicable act," Sanders said. "Let me be as clear as I can be. Violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society, and I condemn this action in the strongest possible terms. Real change can only come about through nonviolent action."

Washington officials quickly put in place a "robust police presence throughout the Capitol complex," and the Secret Service added security around the White House.

As the magnitude of the episode became apparent, House leaders canceled the day's votes, and Trump and Vice President Mike Pence both canceled speeches.

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Trump went to the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House after the shooting and said, "We may have our differences, but we do well in times like these to remember that everyone who serves in our nation's capital is here because, above all, they love our country."

"We can all agree that we are blessed to be Americans, that our children deserve to grow up in a nation of safety and peace, and that we are stronger when we are unified and when we work together for the common good," the president said.

Trump said he spoke with Scalise's wife and offered his full support to the congressman's family. He called Scalise a friend, a patriot and a fighter and thanked the first responders who aided those on the field that morning.

Trump later visited the hospital where Scalise was recovering. The president then tweeted: "Rep. Steve Scalise, one of the truly great people, is in very tough shape -- but he is a real fighter. Pray for Steve!"

'He was hunting us'

The shooting occurred at a popular park and baseball complex in Alexandria, where Republican lawmakers and others were gathered for practice about 7 a.m. They were in good spirits despite the heat and humidity as they prepared for the congressional baseball match that pits Republicans against Democrats. The popular annual face-off, which raises money for charity, is scheduled for tonight at Nationals Park across the Potomac River in Washington and will go forward as planned.

The GOP lawmakers' team was taking batting practice when gunshots rang out and chaos ensued.

The FBI said Hodgkinson was armed with a handgun and a rifle. Witnesses described a man with white hair and a beard wielding a long gun as he stood behind the dugout.

"He was hunting us at that point," said Rep. Mike Bishop, R-Mich., who was standing at home plate when the shooting began.

Bishop said the gunman had seemed to be firing two shots at a time, a firearms technique known as "double-tapping," sending off bullets that kicked up the gravel on the baseball field as they struck. "There was so much gunfire, you couldn't get up and run," he said. "Pop, pop, pop, pop -- it's a sound I'll never forget."

The gunman had a rifle and "a lot of ammo," said Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, who was at the practice.

Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, still in his baseball uniform, told reporters that Scalise's security detail, Capitol Hill police and then Alexandria police returned fire in a battle that lasted as long as 10 minutes and included dozens of shots.

"The security detail saved a lot of lives," he said. "It was scary."

Texas Rep. Mike Conaway described what sounded like an explosion, then lawmakers scattering off the field as police roamed in search of the gunman and engaged him.

"The guy's down to a handgun, he dropped his rifle, they shoot him, I go over there, they put him in handcuffs," Conaway said, adding that if the shooter had "gotten inside the fence, where a bunch of guys were holed up in the dugout, it would have been like shooting fish in a barrel."

Lawmakers took cover in the dugout.

Scalise was fielding balls at second base when he was shot, according to lawmakers present. Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., said his colleague "crawled into the outfield, leaving a trail of blood."

"We started giving him the liquids, I put pressure on his wound in his hip," Brooks said.

Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, who injured his ankle while helping others take cover, said that one of his aides, Zack Barth, was shot and was doing well and is expected to fully recover. Two Capitol Police officers sustained relatively minor injuries. A former congressional aide was hospitalized.

Rep. Jeff Duncan of South Carolina said he had just left the practice and encountered the apparent gunman in the parking lot before the shooting. The man calmly asked which party's lawmakers were practicing, and Duncan told him they were the Republicans. The man thanked him.

The Capitol Police officers who met with harm were identified as David Bailey, who was treated for a minor injury, and Crystal Griner, who was shot in the ankle.

Also wounded was former congressional aide Matt Mika, 38, who now works for Tyson Foods Inc. in its Washington office. Mika's family said the lobbyist was shot multiple times and was in critical condition and in surgery.

Focus on hate

Tim Slater, special agent in charge of the FBI's Washington field office, said investigators were "exploring all angles" but could not comment on a motive. Asked whether the shooting was an assassination attempt, he said it was too early in the investigation to say.

Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., who as catcher was just yards from the gunman, blamed the attack on the "hatefulness" in American politics today.

"This could be the first political rhetorical terrorist act," he told CNN. "I believe there is such a hatefulness in what we see in American politics and policy discussions right now ... on social media and the 24-hour news cycle. This has got to stop."

He added: "I think Republicans and Democrats need to use this day today to stand together and say, 'Stop, let's work together, let's get things done. We can have our differences, but let's not let it lead to such hate.'"

During a news conference at the shooting scene Wednesday, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, declined to comment about whether the country's political climate could be a factor. But he said, "There's too much, I believe, raw discourse that's pulling people apart."

Donald Trump Jr. was among those arguing that "liberal hate speech" leads to violence. He tweeted support for a comment by conservative political consultant Harlan Hill: "Events like today are EXACTLY why we took issue with NY elites glorifying the assassination of our president."

He was referring to a New York City production of Julius Caesar that portrays the assassinated title character looking like Trump in a business suit.

On Wednesday, House assistant Democratic leader James Clyburn of South Carolina said plenty of Democrats have experienced the same level of hatred as Republicans.

"I'm not a Republican. And I've had all kinds of threats against me and my family," he said. "It's got nothing to do with partisan politics."

Rep. Dave Brat, a Virginia Republican, said he has been concerned that security for members of Congress is "nothing near what it needs to be." He said town hall-style meetings now often include "a thousand people screaming, and it only takes one person off the reservation" to cause a problem.

While the top lawmakers, including Scalise, have security details, others do not.

The last time a lawmaker was shot was when Democratic Rep. Gabbrielle Giffords of Arizona was hit in the head while meeting with constituents at a supermarket parking lot in 2011.

Information for this article was contributed by Erica Werner, Chad Day, Eric Tucker, Matt Barakat, Meghan Hoyer, Sarah Brumfield, Michael Biesecker, Mary Clare Jalonick, Ken Thomas, Vivian Salama, Stephen Ohlemacher, Alan Fram, Andrew Taylor, Ed White, Julie Bykowicz, Bill Barrow, Jacques Billeaud and Alan Fram of The Associated Press; by Michael D. Shear, Adam Goldman, Emily Cochrane and staff members of The New York Times; by Peter Hermann, Paul Kane and Amber Phillips and staff members of The Washington Post; and by Katherine Skiba of the Chicago Tribune.

A Section on 06/15/2017