ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA — At least five people were hospitalized after a gunman opened fire on Republican members of the congressional baseball team during a practice session on Wednesday morning, CNN reports. Among those wounded was the majority whip of the House of Representatives, Steve Scalise. <br /> <br />The shooting took began shortly after 7 a.m. when the Republican baseball team was at Eugene Simpson Stadium Park for a scheduled charity game between Republicans and Democrats on Thursday. <br /> <br />According to the New York Times, the gunman, armed with a rifle, gave no warning before firing over 50 shots into the baseball field. He was later identified as 66-year-old James T. Hodgkinson from Illinois. <br /> <br />Two Capitol Police officers who were part of Rep. Steve Scalise’s security detail began returning fire while others sought protection on the field. Alexandria police arrived the scene within minutes. <br /> <br />The Washington Post cited witnesses who said the shooter was then pinned face-down on the pavement behind the third-base dugout by police. Authorities later said the suspect was killed in the shootout. <br /> <br />Hodgkinson’s alleged Facebook page features a banner image of Senator Bernie Sanders and he is said to have campaigned for Sanders in Iowa last year. He also reportedly described Trump as a “traitor” in one of the Facebook posts. The Facebook page has become unavailable since the shooting. <br /> <br />Rep. Scalise was in critical condition after undergoing surgery. Two Capitol Police officers who exchanged fire with the gunman were also injured. <br /> <br />Officials recovered two firearms at the scene, an SKS rifle 7.62 and a 9 mm pistol, CNN reported authorities as saying. The SKS rifle is reportedly a Chinese-made variant of the AK.
