Republican House Majority Whip Steve Scalise Shot in Virginia During Morning Congressional Basebal Practice

LAWMAKER SHOT IN VA …

As reported at FOX News, Republican House Majority Whip Steve Scalise was shot early this morning in Alexandria, Virginia while practicing baseball.  According to Alabama Representative Mo Brooks, shots were first reported on East Monroe Street in Alexandria. at about 7:10 am ET. Louisiana Congressman Scalise was standing near second base when he was shot. Scalise was hit in the hip. Others have also been wounded. The suspect is reported to have been shot and in custody.

Thankfully, Majority Whip Steve Scalise was traveling with a security detail of Capitol police, otherwise this would have been much worse and a massacre.

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise was shot in the hip and at least one other aide was also hit in the chest by a gunman with a rifle who opened fire at a baseball practice in Virginia Wednesday morning, Fox News confirmed.

Police tweeted they “believed” the gunman was in custody. Sen. Mike Lee told Fox News, however, the gunman was dead. He said a staffer used a belt as a tourniquet to stop Scalise’s bleeding.

UPDATE I: Rep. Steve Scalise was shot Wednesday morning in Alexandria, VA.

According to both congressional and law enforcement sources, the shooting appears to be a “deliberate attack.” Alexandria police said earlier Wednesday they were responding to a “multiple shooting” in the city. The tweet also said the suspect is in custody “and not a threat.” CNN has reached out to Capitol Hill police for details.

Brooks said there were a number of congressmen and congressional staffers lying on the ground, and at least one of them was wounded. The Alabama Republican said he used his belt as a tourniquet to help one of the victims.

He said the shooter appeared to be a white male but added that “I saw him for a second or two.” He said the shooter was behind the third base dugout and didn’t say anything.

“The gun was a semiautomatic,” Brooks said. “It continued to fire at different people. You can imagine, all the people on the field scatter.”

UPDATE II: Paul said about 50-60 rifle shots rang out from a distance and “no one on the field had a chance”.

Alexandria police said the suspect was in custody and was “not a threat.”

Scalise was with 15-20 lawmakers who were practicing for the annual Congressional baseball game, according to HLN. Fox said a staffer used a belt as a tourniquet to stop Scalise’s bleeding.

Sen. Rand Paul told MSNBC said he was in a batting cage when it happened. Paul said about 50-60 rifle shots rang out from a distance and “no one on the field had a chance.” He said two Capital Hill police return fire.

UPDATE III: Virginia shooting: House majority whip shot at congressional baseball practice – live.

4m ago 13:44 David Taylor

Rand Paul, the Republican senator for Kentucky, told MSNBC he was practicing in a batting cage just outside the fence to the baseball field when the shots started.

He heard a succession of five or 10 shots and then realized the Republican majority whip senator Steve Scalise was hit on the baseball field and was “trying to drag himself through the dirt towards the dugout”.

Two Congressional staffers were also on the ground, with shots kicking up dirt all around them, he said.

Paul, who hid behind a tree with a staffer who leapt over a high fence, described shots landing in the dirt in the outfield and around them.

He said at one point the gunman, who he thought was armed with a rifle must have reloaded and then there were 50 or 60 shots.

“Everybody probably would have died except for the fact that the Capitol Hill police were there,” he said.

The Republicans have been having regular morning practice at the field for about two months in advance of Thursday’s charity congressional baseball game at Nationals Park.

Armed police were there because Senator Scalise, a member of the leadership is on their team, Paul said.

“The Capitol Hill police, incredibly brave, probably saved the lives of everybody there. Had they not been there it would have been a massacre because there’s no escape, a guy, if he has got 100 bullets, we had no weapons and no place to hide.”

So if he had advanced on the rest of us, there would have been no chance … shots were returned by the Capitol Hill police. From what I understand, they both were shot, I hope they are OK. One still protected the scene after being shot.”

6m ago 08:41

Congressman Mo Brooks said that Scalise “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.