Details continue to emerge from this morning’s shooting at a congressional baseball practice at an Alexandria, Virginia, this morning, where House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) was among five who were wounded in the incident.
Federal law enforcement officials identified the suspected shooter to NBC News as James T. Hodgkinson, 66, from Belleville, Illinois. President Donald Trump announced during an update from the White House that the suspect died after being taken to the hospital.
Trump said “many lives would have been lost if not for the heroic actions of the two Capitol Police officers who took down the gunman despite sustaining gunshot wounds during a very, very brutal assault.”
As of now, the gunman, who reportedly asked “are these the Republicans or the Democrats” practicing on the field, appears to be the only fatality from the shooting. That includes the Capitol Police officers who sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
Rep. Roger Williams’ (R-Texas) office also confirmed that a member of his staff, Zack Barth, was one of the people shot this morning. NBC News’ report added that Matt Mika, a director of government relations for Tyson Foods, was also shot.
In all, according to local police, five people were taken to the hospital after the shooting, including Hodgkinson.
The alleged gunman has a history of violence and arrests, including a domestic violence charge in 2006.
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who cancelled the day’s events on Capitol Hill, was among the members of Congress who spoke from the floor after the incident, declaring, “An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us.”
The White House issued a written statement this morning on behalf of the president and vice president, and Donald Trump spoke soon after on camera, noting the suspected shooter’s death, and adding, “We may have our differences, but we do well, in times like these, to remember that everyone who serves in our nation’s capital is here because, above all, they love our country.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), meanwhile, noted that Hodgkinson “apparently volunteered” with his presidential campaign last year.
“I am sickened by this despicable act,” Sanders said. “Let me be as clear as I can be. Violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society and I condemn this action in the strongest possible terms.”
The baseball game scheduled for tomorrow will proceed, as planned — an announcement that drew a standing ovation from lawmakers this morning.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."