UPDATE 5:45 PM: FBI officials and local police held a press conference with updates on the shooter.
FBI officials said the shooter has been living in his car in the area of the baseball field. They believe he has been in the area since March.
UPDATE 3:50 PM: The FBI put out the following statement:
“At approximately 7:09 a.m. on June 14, the Alexandria Police Department responded to the scene at 400 East Monroe Avenue in Alexandria, Virginia. They arrived at 7:12 a.m. to shots fired in the vicinity of Eugene Simpson Stadium Park, where members of a congressional baseball team were practicing. Multiple members of Congress were present on scene; therefore, United States Capitol Police officers were also on scene.
The subject was engaged by law enforcement and shot at approximately 7:14 a.m.
Five individuals were transported by Alexandria EMS, Arlington County EMS, and U.S. Park Police helicopter to local hospitals with gunshot wounds. Those transported include a United States Capitol Police officer who is hospitalized and is reported to be in stable condition, a congressman, one congressional staffer, one lobbyist, and the subject.
A second congressman sustained minor injuries and was also transported by a medic unit.
One additional United States Capitol Police officer was transported to the hospital in a police cruiser for minor injuries and has been released.
The shooter has been identified by law enforcement as James Hodgkinson, age 66, from Belleville, Illinois. Hodgkinson was taken to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
The FBI is actively investigating Hodgkinson, to include his associates, whereabouts, social media impressions, and potential motivations. This is an active investigation that continues to unfold.
The ATF is running a trace on two weapons, to include a rifle and a handgun.
The scene remains an active investigation, where law enforcement, to include the FBI Evidence Response Team, ATF, and Alexandria Police Department, are collecting evidence. In addition, the FBI Springfield and St. Louis Evidence Response Teams are searching the subject’s home in Belleville, Illinois.
Individuals who have information regarding Hodgkinson should call the FBI 24-hour access line at 1-800-CALL-FBI and select option 1.
AP UPDATE 3:40 PM: Congresswoman Claudia Tenney received a threatening email shortly after a man opened fire on members of Congress and others on a baseball field.
The subject line read, “One down, 216 to go…”
That’s according to the New York Republican’s spokeswoman, Hannah Andrews, who said her office alerted Capitol Police.
There are 238 Republicans in the House, but 217 voted for a bill that would repeal and replace President Barack Obama’s health law. It was unclear whether the email writer was referring to that vote.
UPDATE 2:45 PM: Medstar Washington Hospital Center reports that Rep. Scalise is in critical condition.
UPDATE 12:30 PM: House Speaker Paul Ryan takes the floor to ask his fellow lawmakers to come together.”
AP UPDATE 12:15 PM: Republican Rep. Jeff Duncan says he suspects he spoke with the man who minutes later opened fire on the congressional baseball practice.
Duncan, of South Carolina, says he gave a description of the man to Alexandria police that “fits the picture that’s being shown on TV.”
Duncan says he was preparing to leave the baseball practice when the man approached him and asked: “Excuse me, sir, who’s practicing today? Democrats or Republicans?”‘
Duncan said he replied it was the Republican team, and the man thanked him and turned around. Nothing about the man “struck me as being out of the ordinary.”
Duncan says he left the field at 7:02 a.m. and had no idea there had been a shooting.
He said he has no doubt the man he spoke with was the shooter, based on photos he’s seen.
UPDATE 12:00 PM: Rep. Martha McSally says the congressional baseball game will take place as scheduled Thursday night.
McSally says House Speaker Paul Ryan made the announcement, just hours after a gunman opened fire early Wednesday on members of Congress who were practicing outside Washington D.C. for the charity baseball game. McSally says the announcement was met with a standing ovation.
McSally, a Republican from Arizona, says “we can’t let anyone stop us from doing our work and from standing together.”
UPDATE 11:30 AM: President Donald Trump announced that the shooter is dead.
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UPDATE 11 AM: The Washington Post reports that the shooter is James T. Hodgkinson, 66, of Belleville, Ill.
AP UPDATE 10:15 AM: A law enforcement official says the shooting in Virginia that injured Rep. Steve Scalise and several others is being investigated as a criminal act rather than an act of terrorism.
The official, who was not authorized to speak by name and spoke on condition of anonymity, also says the FBI is taking over the investigation, which is standard protocol in attacks involving federal officials such as a congressman. A news conference has been scheduled by law enforcement for later in the morning.
UPDATE 10:00 AM: The office of House Majority Whip Steve Scalise confirms that he has been shot in the hip and is undergoing surgery.
The Louisiana Republican is in stable condition at a Washington hospital.
The statement says that before the surgery Scalise was “in good spirits and spoke to his wife by phone.”
He praised the efforts of U.S. Capitol Police and other first responders.
Scalise was shot in Alexandria, Virginia as congressional Republicans practiced for the annual congressional baseball game.
The police chief in Alexandria, Virginia, has confirmed that five people were taken to hospitals after a gunman opened fire during a congressional baseball practice.
(CNN) — Rep. Steve Scalise was shot Wednesday morning in Alexandria, Virginia, a House colleague told CNN, in what sources are calling an apparent “deliberate attack.” A congressional staffer was also shot.
Scalise, a member of the House Republican leadership as the majority whip, appeared to have been shot in the hip and it appeared two Capitol Hill police agents were shot, according to Rep. Mo Brooks, who told CNN he was on deck when the shooting occurred.
The shooting took place at a practice for the GOP congressional baseball team.
Update on the Condition of Majority Whip Steve Scalise https://t.co/Lfna1fgHLL pic.twitter.com/BVGXbOKRMY
— Rep. Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) June 14, 2017
In a statement, Texas Rep. Roger Williams, one of the team’s coaches, said one of his staff members was shot during the incident and is receiving medical attention. There was no information on the staffer’s injuries.
According to both congressional and law enforcement sources, the shooting appears to be a “deliberate attack.”
Two law enforcement sources told CNN the shooter, who is in police custody, has been taken to a hospital.
Lawmakers describe a chaotic scene
Lawmakers who spoke at the scene to reporters described a normal morning practice, at a field where they’ve practiced for years, when all of a sudden shots rang out. Lawmakers, staff members and even the young son of one of the members ran for cover, jumping into dugouts and over fences to avoid the gunshots.
Members described Scalise dragging himself roughly 15 yards away from second base, where he had been playing, and lying there until the shooter was neutralized, at which point some of them ran to assist him and apply pressure to the wound until he could be evacuated. Once they were able, Sen. Jeff Flake said he and Rep. Brad Wenstrup, who is a physician, went out to where Scalise was lying to apply pressure to the wound. Scalise was coherent the whole time, Flake said.
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul told CNN “it would have been a massacre” without Capitol Hill Police.
“Nobody would have survived without the Capitol Hill police,” Paul said on CNN. “It would have been a massacre without them.”
“We had nothing but baseball bats to fight back against a rifle with,” Brooks said.
Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake added that he saw a member of Scalise’s security detail return fire on the gunman for what felt like 10 minutes, even though the police officer was wounded in the leg.
“50 (shots) would be an understatement, I’m quite sure,” Flake said when asked about the total amount of gunfire, including police returning fire.
Flake said two members of Scalise’s security detail were wounded, and another man was wounded in the chest.
Trump tweets on the incident
The President is monitoring the situation, the White House said in a statement.
Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, a true friend and patriot, was badly injured but will fully recover. Our thoughts and prayers are with him.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 14, 2017
“The Vice President and I are aware of the shooting incident in Virginia and are monitoring developments closely,” President Donald Trump said in a statement. “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.”
Trump subsequently tweeted, “Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, a true friend and patriot, was badly injured but will fully recover. Our thoughts and prayers are with him.”
House Speaker Paul Ryan and Republican Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy are safe on Capitol Hill and receiving updates, aides tell CNN. Neither was at the practice.
This morning the hearts of the whole House are with @SteveScalise, the brave Capitol police, staff, and all those who were in harm’s way.
— Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) June 14, 2017
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, adding that he was sure it was a rifle but unsure what kind. “It continued to fire at different people. You can imagine, all the people on the field scatter.”
Scalise is the first member of Congress to be shot since former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords was shot in January 2011. Giffords was shot in the head by Jared Lee Loughner at a “Congress On Your Corner” event at a Tucson grocery store. Giffords, who authorities said was the main target of the shooting, survived the attack but six others were killed and an additional 12 were injured.
Loughner pleaded guilty in 2012 and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
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