man 'targeting Republicans' shoots five including a Congressman with a RIFLE at baseball practice

[superbeets]

[h=1]Congress baseball gunman is 66-year-old white Illinois man: Shooter who opened fire with an assault rifle on Republicans in 'targeted attack' before being shot by hero cops is named[/h]

• James T. Hodgkinson from Belleville, Illinois, opened on the GOP team at 7:00 a.m. at Eugene Simpson Stadium Park in Alexandria, Virginia
• House Majority Whip Steve Scalise was shot in the hip and left a trail of blood as he tried to crawl to safety
• Two heroic US Capitol Police officers were injured trading pistol gunfire while the congressmen took cover
• They were both shot as was Zachary Barth, a congressional staffer for Texas Rep. Roger Williams
• The shooter was described as 'white' and middle-aged.' He fired between 50 and 100 rounds from an M4 rifle
• He was eventually shot by the hero Capitol Hill officers who were accompanying Scalise to the practice
• President Trump said the Scalise – a 'true friend and patriot' – was expected to make a full recovery
• Sen. Rand Paul, Rep. Mo Brooks and Rep. Brad Robert Wenstrup all gave first aid to their injured teammates
• The team was practicing ahead of a Thursday night charity game when they were targeted
• All house votes in Washington were canceled in light of the shooting as security in the Capitol was heightened

 

[superbeets]

The gunman who opened fire on a Republican congressional baseball practice session on Wednesday morning, injuring four people including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, has been named as James T. Hodgkinson.
The shooter from Belleville, Illinois, fired up to 100 rounds from a high powered rifle from the third base dugout at Eugene Simpson Stadium Park in Alexandria, Virginia, as the group practiced batting at around 7.00 a.m.
He was eventually shot by two U.S. Capitol Police officers who were accompanying Scalise. They were both wounded as they exchanged gunfire.
Hodgkinson, who was first named by CBS News, is now in custody and undergoing treatment at a local hospital. Acquaintances said the man was a staunch Democrat who volunteered for Bernie Sanders' campaign.
Zachary Barth, a congressional staffer for Texas Rep. Roger Williams was also shot. Senator Rand Paul, who was at the scene but was not injured, described it as a 'killing field.'
Moments before the attack, a man - thought to be the shooter - asked if the group were Republicans or Democrats, Florida Rep. Ron DeSantis said. North Carolina Rep. Mike Walker told NBC News the 'gunman was there to kill as many Republican members as possible.'
Michigan Rep. Mike Bishop described how one man – thought to be part of Scalise’s Capitol Police protection detail – stood his ground to return fire as the congressmen and at least one of their children dove for cover in a dugout and Scalise dragged himself across the field after being hit, leaving a trail of blood behind him.

 

[superbeets]

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House Majority Whip Steve Scalise was shot in the hip at a GOP baseball practice on Wednesday by a gunman who launched a targeted attack on the group. He was taken to hospital after crawling to safety while his Capitol Hill police escort exchanged gunfire with the shooter

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Scalise was one of five injured by the gunman who fired up to 100 rounds before he was wounded by Capitol Police

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The men were practicing at Eugene Simpson Stadium Park ahead of a charity match on Thursday when the gunman opened fire at 7am

He told CBS Detroit: ‘As we were standing here this morning, a gunman walked up to the fence line and just began to shoot. I was standing at home plate and he was in the third base line. He had a rifle that was clearly meant for the job of taking people out, multiple casualties, and he had several rounds and magazines that he kept unloading and reloading.'
He said: ‘The only reason why any of us walked out of this thing, by the grace of God, one of the folks here had a weapon to fire back and give us a moment to find cover.'
'We were inside the backstop and if we didn’t have that cover by a brave person who stood up and took a shot themselves, we would not have gotten out of there and every one of us would have been hit — every single one of us.
'He was coming around the fence line and he was looking for all of us who had found cover in different spots. But if we didn’t have return fire right there, he would have come up to each one of us and shot us point-blank.'
The group was practicing for a charity match which is due to take place on Thursday at Nationals Park when they were attacked. Three men escaped and took shelter in an apartment building nearby.
The gunman, who reportedly used an M4 rifle, opened fire as all the men stood on the field. Most dove for cover in a dugout while Scalise was dropped by his wound.
Another witness, Marty Lavor, dove on top of a congressman. He told CNN that after the gunman's first shot, there was a break in the gunfire but it began shortly afterwards.
Republican Rep. Mo Brooks was also there but was not hurt. He described using his belt as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding on Scalise's leg.

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Texas Rep. Roger Williams (above) was not shot but was injured in the chaos as he tried to flee. One of his staffers suffered a gunshot wound to the leg

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Williams is seen being taken to hospital after the shooting which took place as the men practiced batting at 7am

 

[superbeets]

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Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake (left) was also on the field at the time of the shooting. He said he wanted to get to Scalise, who was lying in the middle of the field, but couldn't. After the shooter was brought down, he called Scalise's wife to tell her he'd been shot

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A man who was injured in the leg receives treatment at the scene. Some of those hurt were not shot but suffered injuries as they tried to escape the field

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Rep. Mo Brooks appeared emotional as he spoke on the phone moments after the shooting. He helped give first aid to those shot

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Members of the team said they often practiced at the stadium park ahead of the annual charity match. They are ordinarily met by friendly by-passers and local residents

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The men's kit lay abandoned on the field as the scene around the baseball field was taped off

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Police at the field on Wednesday. The FBI joined Alexandria Police and Capitol Hill Police to work at the scene

 

[superbeets]

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A Twitter user posted this picture of what appeared to be a gunshot hole in a window as he took cover in the YMCA in Alexandria

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Speaking to FM Talk 1065 moments after the shooting, he told how the group was practicing batting when he suddenly saw the shooter.
'Suddenly there's this face. I noticed the guy's got a rifle and he's shooting at us,' he said.
As he took shelter with others in the group, which also included Rep. Gary Palmer, Brooks said he watched Scalise crawl to them as the police exchanged gunfire with pistols.
'He was dragging his body away from second base to get away from the shooter. He was shot in the hip. I think it was not a life-threatening wound. ... There was no exit wound I could see.'

 

[superbeets]

'There was a blood trail about 10 to 15 yards long from where he was shot to wear he crawled to right field,' he told CNN.
Brooks caught a brief glimpse of the shooter and described him as a white, middle-aged male. He said he described him as being 'a little on the chubby side' but not obese. No more information about him is being offered by police.
Scalise, as a member of the House leaderhsip, was the only one in the group who had been accompanied by a Capitol Police security detail.
Senator Rand Paul, who was not hurt, said that without the armed officers, all of those targeted would have died
'Had they not been there, it would have been a massacre. As terrible as it is, it could have been a lot worse.

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The streets surrounding the scene in Alexandria, Virginia were blocked off early Wednesday as first responders secured the area

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Sen. Jeff Flake is pictured walking away from the chaotic scene outside the stadium park

'Had it not been for them, we would have been at the mercy of the shooter and he had a lot of ammo. All we would have had was baseball bats.'
'The Capitol Hill police cannot get enough praise for really saving everyone's life out there,' he said.
Describing the scene as a 'killing field', he added: 'He would have shot anybody who ran out.'
Ohio Republican Rep. Brad Robert Wenstrup, a doctor and an Army Reserve officer, was on the scene and helped treat the wounded before paramedics arrived.
'I felt like I was back in Iraq, but without my weapon,' he told Fox News.
Arizona Rep. Senator Jeff Flake described watching as the gunman sprayed bullets on the field, where Scalise lay on the ground.

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House Majority Whip Steve Scalise was shot in the hip but is expected to make a full recovery

As his Capitol Hill protection officers exchanged fire, he said the group were helpless.
'I wanted to get to Steve Scalise, laying out there in the field, but while there were bullets flying overhead, I couldn't,' he told ABC.
Scalise's office said while he was undergoing emergency surgery at MedStar Washington Hospital Center that he was in 'stable condition.'
'Prior to entering surgery, the Whip was in good spirits and spoke to his wife by phone,' a spokesperson said.
'He is grateful for the brave actions of U.S. Capitol Police, first responders, and colleagues.'
The two Capitol Police officers who were shot are both in a 'good condition' and are expected to recover.
Barth's condition is not known nor is the condition of the shooter.
All who have spoken since the attack said they were saved by having two trained doctors, including Wenstrup, on the team.
He administered immediate aid to Scalise before handing over to Brooks while he cut off his clothing. ‘We were very fortunate to have a physician on the team.’
Sen. Paul is a trained opthalmologist. He said he was unable to get to Scalise because he was separated by part of the field and a fence while the active situation was ongoing.
One local resident was in his apartment with his wife when they were woken by the gunshots. They sheltered three members of the team after seeing them run for their lives from the field.
'We were able to get them in a safe space for a couple of minutes. They were pretty shaken up,' he said.
President Trump issued a statement shortly after the shooting to say he was 'deeply saddened' and was monitoring the situation closely.

 

[superbeets]

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Sen. Rand Paul (left) and Rep. Mo Brooks (right) were also at the practice but were not injured. They helped treat the wounds of the injured with their belts and cloths until emergency services arrived

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President Trump said Scalise would make a full recovery. He paid tribute to him as a 'true friend and patriot'

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First Lady Melania Trump shared her prayers for the victims and thanked police and paramedics who attended the attack

'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,' the president said.
Vice President Mike Pence cancelled a scheduled speech in order to meet with the president at The White House.
By mid-morning, the president had canceled a planned 3:00 p.m. event at the Department of Labor that was to have focused on his apprenticeship initiative.
Instead, according to a CNN reporter, Trump planned to deliver remarks about the shooting in the White House's Rose Garden.
The White House wouldn't immediately confirm that detail.
Meanwhile, all members of the House of Representatives were summoned to a private 11:15 a.m. briefing about the shooting investigation, and all votes were canceled for the day.
Scalise is the Republican majority whip in the House of Representatives – the congressman responsible for counting votes and maintaining party discipline.
The Louisianan, a 51-year-old father of two, is counted among conservatives in Congress who tend to back President Donald Trump's more controversial initiatives, including calling his famous travel ban a 'prudent' measure. he endorsed Trump unreservedly last year.
Scalise came under fire in 2014 for remarks he made in 2002 at a conference run by a group that he later learned was a white supremacist organization.
The infamous former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, who founded the group, blasted Scalise as a 'sellout' for apologizing.
The congressional baseball game is an annual tradition pitting members of the Democratic and Republican parties against each other. The game is set to take place on Thursday at Nationals Park.
Democratic members of Congress canceled their own baseball practice on Wednesday morning after news broke about the shooting. Many of those lawmakers gathered to pray for their political opponents in a concrete dugout before leaving under the guard of a Capitol Police escort.
As talk in Washington turned to the political ramifications of a high-profile shooting that affected lawmakers, fault lines began to emerge.
'This kind of mindless violence must stop,' California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein said in a statement that hinted at her longstanding support for gun-control laws.
'I'm dedicated to doing all I can to putting an end to these senseless tragedies.'

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There was heightened security in the capitol after the shooting on Wednesday morning

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Officers outside the Capitol Building remained alert after the shooting on Wednesday

On the other side of the aisle, South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said he doesn't know who the shooter is 'or how he got a gun.'
'We've got plenty of gun laws,' Graham told a Bloomberg reporter. 'I own a gun. I don't go around shooting people with it.'
'People get shot, run over by cars, stabbed, it's just a crazy world,' he said. 'If we had that debate it'd end like it always ends. We're not going to tell law-abiding people they can't own a gun because of some nut-job.'
'One thing I hope we'll all do is just watch our words a little bit,' Graham added. 'Knock down the rhetoric. That'd be a good thing.'
In corners of the U.S. Capitol where business resumed as usual, the shooting seemed to hit home.
'Several members of this committee were there,' Republican Rep. Ed Royce of California declared as he convened a hearing featuring Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
'This is a sad day for our country.'
'We still don't have all the details,' said Royce, 'but we do know that there are those who want to use acts of violence to create chaos, to disrupt our democracy.'
'The American people will not let them win.'

Read more:

• Congressman Steve Scalise Shot at Alexandria, Virginia, Baseball Field - NBC News
• Congressman Details Hectic Moment Under Fire: ‘We Were Sitting Ducks; Gun Saved Our Lives’ « CBS Detroit
• FM Talk 106.5 - Mobile's ONLY FM Talk Radio Station
• Shooting in Alexandria, Virginia, wounds GOP's Steve Scalise, officers - CBS News

 

[superbeets]

Liberals have been preaching non-stop hate, and now this.

 

[superbeets]

Bernie Sanders "sickened" by Scalise shooting, reportedly conducted by former campaign volunteer

 

[SheriffJoe]

LEFT-WING TWITTER CELEBRATES SHOOTING OF REP. SCALISE [UPDATED]

'That KKK fucker deserved it'

Jun 14, 2017

No sooner did news break that a gunman shot Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) were left-wing Twitter users celebrating the attack — in which two Capitol Police were also shot, as well as a congressional staffer, and possibly more.

Activist and media personality, Tariq Nasheed, appeared to indicate support for the shooting on Twitter:

Author Malcom Harris, "joked"(?) that the shooter may have simply been acting in self-defense:

Sonia Gupta, a former prosecutor from Scalise's home state of Louisiana, offered up this:

Twitter user "Leon Trotsky" wrote that Scalise's shooting was "karma" for his "tea bag" beliefs:

Twitter user "Charles Oakley" wrote that "the KKK fucker deserved it":

Technology writer WaltIsFrozen said the attack will have a "silver lining" if the shooter was indeed targeting Republicans specifically:

"RestlessNews" created a meme that suggested the attack is the definition of "karma":

Other left-wing Twitter users said they hoped this shooting would encourage Scalise to rethink his support for gun rights — as he's a "whore" for the NRA:

Others tried to use the atrocity as an excuse to make jokes about health-care reform:

Others suggested the Scalise shooting was justified owing to the congressman's beliefs:

UPDATE: The shooter, identified as James T. Hodgkinson, appears to be a Bernie Sanders fan. His Facebook page reads, "Democratic Socialism in Three Words: 'We the People.'"

One of his most recent posts says, "Trump is a Traitor. Trump Has Destroyed Our Democracy. It's Time to Destroy Trump & Co." [sic]

"I want Bernie to Win the White House." he wrote Aug. 12th, 2016. "Bernie is a Progressive, while Hillary is Republican Lite. ... Bernie is the Only Candidate in Decades that Really Cares about the Working Class." [sic]

 

[superbeets]

James T. Hodgkinson (pictured right campaigning against Republicans in 2012) was a hateful Trump opponent who threatened to 'destroy' the president on social media before attacking a GOP baseball practice on Wednesday

 

[ScottL]

CNN anchor Kate Bolduan had Illinois governor on the phone and the first thing he brought up was gun control. And she shut him down.

 

[ScottL]

Fortunately THIS could have been a whole lot worse of an outcome.

I guess next year these teams will be practicing indoors under armed guard ;-(

 

[superbeets]

[h=2]Do you think killing 'Trump' Caesar is clever now? Donald Jr retweets post in wake of Congress shooting on why 'we took issue with New York elites glorifying President's assassination in Shakespeare play'[/h][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

[/FONT]The president's eldest son retweeted a posting from Harlan Hill, a prominent Trump supporter, who spoke about New York 'elites' glorying in the president being 'assassinated'. Don Jr (right) captioned the tweet 'this', linking the shooting spree by Bernie Sanders-loving James T. Hodkingson (left) in Alexandria, VA, which injured the third-most senior Republican in the House, to both Kathy Griffin and a New York Public Theater production of Julius Caesar. Griffin was fired from CNN for posing with a bloody decapitated head of Trump for a photoshoot, which Don Jr called 'disgusting', while the publicly-funded New York theater has refused to back down from having a Trump lookalike stabbed to death on the Senate floor in its production of the Shakespeare tragedy.

 

[superbeets]

[h=2]President cancels birthday plans to pay surprise visit with Melania to Rep. Scalise's bedside after he was shot by Trump-hating gunman and reveals 'he's in tough shape' and needs more surgery[/h]

Donald Trump called time on his birthday plans Wednesday evening when he drove to MedStar Washington Hospital Center (pictured left) to visit Congressman Steve Scalise (pictured top-right after shooting and bottom-center in May). The House Majority Whip had been critically injured that morning while playing baseball with his GOP colleagues when a deranged gunman (James Hodgkinson, bottom-right) opened fire on the group. That wasn't the only disruption to Trump's 71st birthday celebrations. Shortly before the visit, it emerged that the Russia probe headed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller had now widened to include the president, who is now under investigation for obstruction of Justice.

 

[superbeets]

[h=1]President cancels birthday plans to pay surprise visit with Melania to Congressman Scalise's bedside after he was shot by Trump-hating gunman and reveals that 'he's in tough shape' and needs more surgery[/h]

• Donald Trump's 71st birthday was hit by two unexpected events Wednesday
• GOP lawmaker Steve Scalise was shot by a gunman and left critically injured
• And it emerged that Trump was being investigated for obstruction of justice
• Trump left a White House gathering to visit Scalise, who is still hospitalized
• Meanwhile, Russia probe has widened in the wake of James Comey's testimony
• Comey accused Trump of trying to get him to stop investigating Mike Flynn
• Now new probe head Robert Mueller's team is pursuing potential witnesses
• Earlier in the day Trump commended Scalise as a 'fighter' who would 'recover'
• Shooter James Hodgkinson was shot by police at the scene and died in hospital

 

[superbeets]

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Donald Trump's 71st birthday was scuppered by twin dramas on Wednesday. In the evening he visited a DC hospital where Congressman Steve Scalise was in critical condition after a shooting on a GOP baseball game earlier that day

 

[superbeets]

Scalise (seen here after being shot in the hip) will need further surgery and remains in critical condition. It's not clear whether he was conscious when Trump visited

Trump tweeted upon leaving the hospital that Scalise was 'in very touch shape - but he is a real fighter'. It was unclear whether Scalise was conscious when Trump visited

 

[superbeets]

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Trump was walked from the hospital by Dr Ira Rabin (left). He is being investigated for obstruction of justice by Special Counsel Robert Mueller

 

[HamGlaze]

That guy went past being a whacko, he went full libtard!