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Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona was unhurt in a gunman’s attack Wednesday on a Republican congressional baseball practice in suburban Washington, D.C., and was able to describe the shooter and the scene.
Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., the GOP whip, was wounded as were two U.S. Capitol police officers and a congressional aide.
Talking to reporters, Flake said Scalise “dragged himself about 15 yards” after being shot at second base on the field in Eugene Simpson Stadium Park, in an upscale area of Alexandria, Va.
Flake told reporters that the shooter was wearing a blue shirt and confirmed that the shooter had been shot by police.
“It looks like only one shooter, so you’ve got to assume he knew what he was doing here,” Flake said. “Whether he was targeting certain members, we don’t know.”
Flake added that he took Scalise’s phone and called Scalise’s wife. “I just didn’t want her to wake up and hear the news and not know what was going on,” Flake said.
In a telephone interview with The Arizona Republic, Flake provided more details of the incident. He said the GOP team was doing batting practice when the shooting began.
House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) was shot among several people shot during practice for a charity baseball game.
USA TODAY
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Sen. Rand Paul and Rep. Mo Brooks detail the heroic efforts of U.S. Capitol Police during the shooting at a congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia.
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The Republican and Democratic leaders of the U.S. Senate took to the floor to express sadness over the shooting at a congressional baseball practice that left House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and a number of others injured. (June 14)
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Multiple shots reportedly fired by gunman at GOP congressional baseball practice. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise was among several people shot.
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Gov. John Bel Edwards, House Speaker Taylor Barras, R-New Iberia, Senate President John Alario, R-Westwego and lawmakers gathers in the Louisiana Capitol’s Memorial Hall Wednesday to pray for the recovery of Congressman Steve Scalise, R-New Orleans, and other victims.
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Leaders in the House of Representatives from both parties joined together in words to heal and unite their members after the shooting of House Majority Whip Steve Scalise. (June 14)
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In the wake of the shooting of House Majority Whip Steve Scalise in Virginia Wednesday, police are beefing up security around Capitol Hill. Veuer’s Nick Cardona (@nickcardona93) has that story.
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Republican Rep. Jeff Duncan says he suspects he spoke with the man who minutes later opened fire on the congressional baseball practice. (June 14)
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Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) recounts the shooting in which House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and a number of others were wounded by a gunman in Alexandria, VA.
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Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, speaking on the Senate floor Wednesday, said the Alexandria shooter was someone who “apparently volunteered on my presidential campaign.” (June 14)
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Authorities identified James T. Hodgkinson as the man who shot Rep. Steve Scalise and several others during a congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia.
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Bernie Sanders condemned the actions of the gunman who opened fire at a congressional baseball practice.
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Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) recounts the shooting in which House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and a number of others were wounded by a gunman in Alexandria, VA.
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One Republican congressman is linking the shooting of Representative Steve Scalise to the political rhetoric of Democrats. Veuer’s Nick Cardona (@nickcardona93) has that story.
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President Trump shared kind words about House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, who is in stable condition after being shot during a congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia.
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President Donald Trump describing a “brutal, brutal” assault in the shooting of a top House Republican Wednesday, said, “many lives would have been lost if not for the actions of the two Capitol Police officers.” (June 14)
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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer thanked the U.S. Capitol Police officers who jumped into action during a shooting at a congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia.
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Authorities describe the quick response to a gunman opening fire during a congressional baseball practice.
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An eyewitness says the suspected gunman who Rep. Steve Scalise and several others used an assault rifle, such as an AK-47, to open fire on the baseball field Wednesday morning. (June 14)
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Was the tragic D.C. shooting politically motivated? One lawmaker at the scene seems to think so. Nathan Rousseau Smith (@fantasticmrnate) reports.
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A gunman opened fire on a group of Republican lawmakers who were at a baseball practice field in Alexandria, Virginia early Wednesday. Josh King has the story (@abridgetoland).
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A top House Republican, Louisiana’s Steve Scalise was among several people shot by a rifle-wielding gunman at a congressional baseball practice just outside of Washington. Amateur video shows one person being wheeled away from the scene. (June 14)
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Alexandria Police Chief Michael Brown called the scene where Congressman Steve Scalise was shot “stable” and said there was not addtional threat.
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House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana was shot Wednesday at a congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Va., congressional officials say. (June 14)
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Residents in the Virginia Alexandria neighborhood that was the scene of the shooting recounted to reporters the massive police presence in its aftermath. (June 14)
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Who is Rep. Steve Scalise?
Rand Paul: Alexandria shooting could’ve been ‘a massacre’
Senate leaders: ‘We’re deeply saddened’
Gunman opens fire during congressional baseball practice
La. Capitol unites in prayer for Congressman Scalise
Ryan calls shooting ‘an attack on all of us’
Police beef up security around the Capitol in wake of Va. shooting
Rep. Duncan says he thinks he spoke to shooter
Rep. Mo Brooks said they were ‘helpless’ in baseball shooting
Sanders: ‘I am sickened by this despicable act’
James T. Hodgkinson: What we know
Shooter allegedly worked on Bernie Sanders’ campaign
Rep. Mo Brooks: “You have a baseball bat, they have a rifle, you are defenseless.”
GOP Rep: Links the shooting of Rep. Scalise to rhetoric from Democrats
Trump: Steve Scalise is a patriot, fighter
Trump: Shooting was a ‘brutal assault’
McConnell, Schumer praise Capitol Police for bravery
Capitol Police update Alexandria shooting
Shooting eyewitness: Man with AK-47 opened fire
GOP Rep says before shooting, man asked about political party of group
President Trump responds to shooting of Rep. Steve Scalise and others
Amateur video captures Steve Scalise shooting aftermath
Police: Virginia shooting scene ‘stable’
Steve Scalise, officers shot at congressional baseball practice
Virginia residents recount shooting aftermath
“We heard one shot and didn’t recognize it or weren’t sure it was a shot, didn’t see where it was coming from but it was very loud and it sounded like a gunshot,” Flake told The Republic. “And then, just a few seconds, just a rally of gunfire and it was clear what it was.”
The lawmakers on the field still couldn’t tell where the bullets were coming from, he said. “He was, I think, kind of shielded by the other dugout,” Flake said. “A bunch of us dived into the first-base dugout.”
Several minutes later, the injured staff member made it to the dugout and they “applied pressure” to his wound, Flake said.
“I kept popping up to try to see, because I didn’t know if he had taken out our security detail, who was behind us,” Flake said. “For a while, our security detail was firing and I didn’t know if it was friendly. I kept yelling, ‘Are you friendly? Are you friendly?’ And he yelled back, ‘Yes.’ And I saw that it was Steve Scalise’s detail. He happened to be at the practice, thankfully, or we wouldn’t have had a detail. (As a member of House GOP leadership) he’s the only one who has one.”
Flake described who he believes was the alleged gunman, identified by authorities as James Hodgkinson, 66, of Belleville, Ill., this way: “He was middle-aged. I would have guessed 40s or 50s. Just a blue shirt and jeans and I think dark hair. Nothing distinguishing that I remember seeing. I thought, that’s got to be the gunman. I didn’t even see the weapon at that point.”
Flake provided more details in a written account issued by his office.
“Flake was standing along the first base line when the gunman opened fire. As the gunman and Capitol Police exchanged gunfire, Flake took cover in the dugout,” Flake’s statement said. “While in the dugout, Flake helped treat one aide who, after being shot in the leg near center field, managed to get into the dugout. Flake estimates more than 50 shots were fired. Immediately after the gunfire stopped, Flake ran onto the field and began to apply pressure on Congressman Steve Scalise’s (R-La.) wound. After medical personnel arrived, Flake retrieved Scalise’s phone and made the first call to Scalise’s wife to notify her of the shooting. He did to ensure that Mrs. Scalise would not find out about the shooting through the media.”
After the shooting, Flake received telephone calls from former President Barack Obama and Vice President Mike Pence, his office confirmed.
In an interview with Phoenix radio station KFYI-AM (550), Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., decried what he described as a hateful climate toward members of Congress.
Schweikert recently was criticized by activist groups for suggesting in a fundraising letter that the groups promote violence. Members of the groups took to Twitter in force to push back on the allegation that they are violent.
Schweikert said “left-wing radicals” have even written “hate” toward his 20-month daughter and he has had interns quit because they didn’t want to take verbal abuse on the phone.
“This is actually really just the last three months,” Schweikert said. “Look, I used to be the county tax collector, you know, county treasurer. I would get some crazy stuff there. There’s nothing like the last three months. Nothing.”
In 2011, then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., was shot and nearly killed in a mass shooting near Tucson at one of her constituent events.
On Wednesday, Giffords tweeted: “My heart is with my former colleagues, their families & staff, and the US Capitol Police- public servants and heroes today and every day.”
Nowicki is The Arizona Republic’s national political reporter. Follow him on Twitter, @dannowicki.
READ MORE:
Gabby Giffords on baseball practice shooting: ‘My heart is with my former colleagues’
‘I was doing what I could to not get killed:’ Scene at Congressional baseball shooting
Rep. Steve Scalise, others shot at baseball practice: Here’s what we know
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