Congressmen offer prayers after colleague, officers injured in shooting

Posted on June 14, 2017

By Eric Stock

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis of Taylorville said he heard a gunshot and was told to run – and that’s what he did – as he and more than a dozen of the colleagues were practicing for a charity baseball game on Wednesday morning at a ballfield in suburban Washington D.C.

PODCAST: Listen to Scott and Patti’s interview with Davis on WJBC.

“I dove into the dugout and realized that’s not the place to stay and then figured out a good time to get out and run for cover,” Davis told WJBC’s Scott Laughlin and Patti Penn.

Four people were shot and one congressman, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana, was shot in the hip. He is listed in stable condition.

Davis said he doesn’t recall how many shots he heard. There have been reports of as many as 100 shots fired.

“The funny this is when you are running from away from gunfire, you don’t count,” Davis recalled.

President Trump confirmed that the gunman, 66-year-old James Hodgkinson, a Southern Illinois home inspector has died.

“There were kids on the field, there were innocent people walking in this dog park, this political rhetoric and this hatefulness that we see via social media and the media cycle has got to stop,” Davis said.

CBS News reports an initial police report lists the gunman’s weapon as an M-4 assault rifle.

U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood of Peoria tweeted: “My prayers are with @SteveScalise this morning as he’s treated after this morning’s shooting & will continue to monitor developments closely.”

U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Channahon tweeted: “My thoughts & prayers are with my friend @SteveScalise, our @CapitolPolice, and all who were harmed this morning in #Alexandria.”

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin issued a statement: “Our hearts go out to the victims of a tragic shooting this morning. We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the United States Capitol Police who put their lives on the line this morning and each and every day to keep members, staff, and visitors safe.”

Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].
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Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].

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