A shooting has taken place in Alexandria, Virginia this morning while a number of congressmen attended a baseball practice. A man is said to have shown up and then proceeded to go on a rifle-wielding rampage. The gunman was believed to be a 66-year-old man from Illinois going by the name of James Hodgkinson. President Trump has stated that the gunman is now deceased from the injuries sustained during a confrontation with police.
The motivation is not clear at the moment but there is speculation for a political motive as one of the witness is said to have been asked by Hodgkinson “Are those the democrats or the republicans?”, according to Independent.
As of now, it has been confirmed that 5 people have been injured in the shooting, among them is House Majority Whip, Steve Scalise. His office has released an official statement this morning:
“This morning, at a practice for the Congressional Baseball Game, Whip Scales was shot in the hip. He was transported to MedStar Washington Hospital Center, where he is currently undergoing surgery. He is in stable condition.”
The shooting is said to have occurred around 7 A.M. while congressmen practiced at a popular park in the city of Alexandria. “All of a sudden we heard a very load shot. The gunman was over by the third base dugout with a clear view of the field,” the Representative Jeff Flake, told CNN.
We can expect more information to be released to the public as the day progresses, including a possible motive and whether the gunman was acting alone or not.
