Congressman Steve Scalise Is Shot in Virginia

House majority whip's injury not life-threatening; 5 shot, including gunman
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 14, 2017 7:11 AM CDT
Reports: Congressman Scalise Shot in Virginia
Majority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the GOP House majority whip, has been shot while at baseball practice in Alexandria, Va., reports Fox News. He is expected to survive, and the gunman is in custody. Police say a total of five people were wounded, with the other four believed to be two Capitol Hill police officers, a congressional aide, and the gunman. Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama was there and tells CNN that a white male shooter with a rifle of some kind unleashed multiple rounds on the field from behind a chain-link fence near a dugout. "I saw Scalise go down at second base," said Sen. Rand Paul. Brooks said Scalise was shot in the hip and he helped tend to his fellow lawmaker's wound by using a belt as a makeshift tourniquet. The extent of the injuries to others wasn't immediately clear, but at least one person, believed to be one of the officers, was air-lifted from the scene.

"I was on deck, about to hit batting practice, when I heard a 'blam,'" said Brooks on CNN, per USA Today. Scalise "was not able to move under his own power" and was "dragging his body from second base," he said. "He was shot in the hip. I think it was not a life-threatening wound." The Republican team was there practicing for a charity baseball game. Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona also was present and confirmed the gunman had been shot. "Whether he was targeting certain members, we don't know." He added that he got hold of Scalise's phone and called Scalise's wife to tell her the news personally. In a statement, President Trump tweeted that Scalise was a "true friend and patriot" and will "fully recover." Paul credited the two Capitol Hill police officers on the scene with preventing a "massacre." (More Steve Scalise stories.)

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