Blaze Media
© 2024 Blaze Media LLC. All rights reserved.
BREAKING: Gunman opens fire on GOP baseball practice outside DC; House majority whip shot
House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) was among five people who were shot at a congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia, Wednesday. (Image source: Fox News screenshot)

BREAKING: Gunman opens fire on GOP baseball practice outside DC; House majority whip shot

Update 11:02 a.m. ET: Rep. Roger Williams (R-Texas) confirmed on social media that a legislative correspondent in his office, Zack Barth, was among those shot. WIlliams said Barth was receiving medical attention and is expected to fully recover.

Update 9:56 a.m. ET: Scalise's office released a statement after he was shot in the hip Wednesday morning. The statement said the congressman is in "stable" condition and in "good spirits" as he spoke to his wife by phone on the way to a Washington, D.C., hospital.

Original story below:

"At least five people," including Republican House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (La.) and two Capitol Police officers, were shot early Wednesday morning at a congressional baseball practice outside Washington, D.C., according to multiple reports.

It happened near a YMCA in Alexandria, Virginia, just south of the nation's Capitol, where multiple Republican members of Congress were practicing, CNN reported. Sources described the incident to CNN as a "deliberate attack."

Images on social media showed at least one window near the scene with a bullet hole in it.

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) said the gunman was carrying "a large gauge rifle." Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) told CNN that Capitol Police officers fired back at the shooter with pistols.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said that if it were not for Capitol Police, "it would have been a massacre," according to Fox News. Paul estimated there were at least 50 to 60 shots that rang out.

Fox News, CNN, and other outlets reported that Scalise was shot in the hip. Two Capitol Police officers were also shot. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) said on air on CNN that "at least five" were injured, in total. The extent of the injuries was not immediately known.

Brooks said he took off his belt and used it as a tourniquet to control Scalise's bleeding. The Capitol Police officer who was shot reportedly crawled to the outfield, where Scalise was lying on the ground, to check on him. Flake said Scalise was laying injured in the outfield "for at least 10 minutes."

"We couldn't get to him while there were shots," Flake said.

Fox News reported that the gunman was shot and taken into custody at a nearby hospital. There were no immediate reporters of other shooters.

Scalise met with President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday. Following the shooting on Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer tweeted a statement, saying that the president and vice president are aware of the shooting.

Trump tweeted that Scalise was "badly injured" but expressed confidence that he will "fully recover."

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Want to leave a tip?

We answer to you. Help keep our content free of advertisers and big tech censorship by leaving a tip today.
Want to join the conversation?
Already a subscriber?
Jon Street

Jon Street

more stories