The gunman who opened fire Wednesday morning at a GOP congressional baseball practice outside DC has died, President Trump revealed in a public statement about the attack. The shooter had just been identified as 66-year-old James T. Hodgkinson of Belleville, Ill. Authorities have not speculated about a motive. Hodgkinson, whose license for a home-inspection business was not renewed late last year, has had at least one prior brush with the law: About a decade ago, he was charged with battery and aiding damage to a motor vehicle in St. Clair County, Ill., reports the Washington Post. The charges were dismissed. "We may have our differences but we do well in times like these to remember everyone who serves in our nation's capital is here because, above all, they love our country. We can all agree we are blessed to be Americans," Trump said, per Politico.
"We are strongest when we are unified and when we work together for the common good," he added. Authorities say Hodgkinson opened fire on the field in Alexandria, Va., early Wednesday, with the first 911 call coming in a little after 7am EDT. Police say five people, including the shooter, required medical attention. One is House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, who is undergoing surgery after being shot in the hip. "Prior to entering surgery, the Whip was in good spirits and spoke to his wife by phone," his office said in a statement, per USA Today. Two Capitol police officers who were at the scene when the shooting began also were shot and are in good condition, and a staffer for Texas Rep. Roger Williams is in stable condition. (One congressman described how they were "sitting ducks.)
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