US congressman among several wounded in Virginia shooting

Republican House Majority Whip Steve Scalise was among many people shot and wounded at a baseball practice game in Alexandria, Virginia. The gunman appeared to be a white male, says Republican lawmaker Mo Brooks who witnessed the shooting.

Scalise was shot in the hip and "crawled into the outfield, leaving a trail of blood," according to a witness.
TRT World and Agencies

Scalise was shot in the hip and "crawled into the outfield, leaving a trail of blood," according to a witness.

Senior Republican Congressman Steve Scalise was among several victims shot and wounded at a baseball practise ahead of an annual game between lawmakers in a Washington suburb, one of his colleagues said on Wednesday.

Fellow Republican lawmaker Mo Brooks told CNN that Scalise was shot in the hip, adding that at least two law enforcement officers and one congressional staffer were shot in Alexandria, Virginia.

Scalise, the majority whip who rallies Republican votes in the House of Representatives "was not able to move on his own power.

He was dragging his body from the second base infield to the outfield to get away from the shooter while all this firing was going on," Brooks said.

Shooter a white male?

The shooter appeared to be a white male, "a little bit on the chubby side," Brooks said, adding that he only saw the man for second.

Brooks said he heard 10 to 20 rounds from the gunman's rifle before the security detail returned fire. He said there were 20 to 25 members of the team at the practice when gunfire erupted.

Republican Mike Bishop said that Scalise was standing on second base when he was shot.

"I was looking right at him," Bishop told Detroit radio station WWJ, "He was a sitting duck."

Brooks said the Scalise "crawled into the outfield, leaving a trail of blood."

"We started giving him the liquids, I put pressure on his wound in his hip," Brooks said.

TRT World's Azadeh Ansari said that the authorities ducked questions over whether the incident in Virginia qualifies as a terrorist attack. She said that it's still unclear if it was a "lone wolf attack" or otherwise.

Wounds not life-threatening

House Speaker Paul Ryan's office said Scalise's wounds were not believed to be life-threatening and that a member of the security detail was also shot.

Republican Jeff Duncan said in a statement that he was at the practise and "saw the shooter."

Scalise is the No. 3 House Republican leader. He was first elected to the House in 2008 after serving in the state legislature.

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