Suspect Dies After Shooting At GOP Baseball Practice In Virginia – NPR

The shooter opened fire at a baseball field at Eugene Simpson Stadium Park, across the parking lot from Alexandria’s YMCA. Gunshots hit the YMCA’s windows, and the building was shut down and the block cordoned off, NPR’s Tom Bowman reports from the scene.

After receiving a call of shots fired at 7:09 a.m., officers were on the scene within three minutes, Chief Brown said. He added that at least two officers fired at the gunman.

Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama, who was at the practice, told CNN that the gunman was holding what he described as a semi-automatic rifle in the area behind third base and that Scalise had been near second base. He told CNN that he tried to help Scalise, saying, “We used my belt to help put a tourniquet around his leg.”

Brooks also told the network that he watched as “a Capitol security guy who had already been shot, who had helped take down the shooter, came limping over to us in the outfield, totally ignoring his own wounds to check on the person he was primarily responsible for — Steve Scalise being a part of the House leadership team.”

Two Capitol Police officers showed “incredible bravery,” Brooks said, describing how they used their pistols to engage in a gunbattle with a man armed with a rifle, from a distance of 90 to 120 feet.

NPR’s Scott Detrow reports that a staff member of Rep. Roger Williams’ office was wounded. Earlier reports had said Williams was also shot, but his office says the Texas congressman was not hurt in the attack.

Rep. Steve Pearce of New Mexico, who was at the practice but unharmed, tweeted prayers for the victims.

A local resident who posted a video of the scene after the shooting said, “There were probably about 80 to 100 shots fired over there.”

That resident, Benjamin Childers, added, “We had three members of Congress [who] took shelter in our apartment.”

Trump had issued a statement earlier:

“The Vice President and I are aware of the shooting incident in Virginia and are monitoring developments closely. 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.”

The shooting occurred one day before the Republican team is scheduled to play in the annual Congressional Baseball Game at Nationals Park. Pitting members of one party against another, the contest supports charities ranging from the Boys and Girls Clubs to the Washington Literacy Center.

Members of the Democratic Party’s team were practicing elsewhere Wednesday morning; after the attack, they tweeted a photo of themselves taking a moment to think of their colleagues.

The violence disrupted what had been a quiet start to the day in Del Ray, hitting an area where many residents go to work out in the mornings and grab a coffee from a shop around the corner from the YMCA.

As NPR’s Jessica Taylor reports from the neighborhood: “This is people going about their normal mornings, probably not even knowing that there were members of Congress that were practicing a few blocks down the road here. And it just went from really sort of a calm, peaceful morning to utter chaos in here.”

This is a developing story. Some things that get reported by the media will later turn out to be wrong. We will focus on reports from police officials and other authorities, credible news outlets and reporters who are at the scene. We will update as the situation develops.