The Other McCain

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Republican Congressman Shot; UPDATE: Suspect Is Illinois ‘Democrat Socialist’

Posted on | June 14, 2017 | 1 Comment

UPDATE 11:32 a.m. EDT: The suspect reportedly has been identified:

James T. Hodgkinson has been identified as the shooter who opened fire on Republican members of Congress Wednesday morning at a baseball field in Alexandria, Virginia, the Washington Post reports.
Hodgkinson, 66, is from Belleville, Illinois, the newspaper reports. A motive for the shooting is not yet known, but Hodgkinson’s Facebook page shows someone who had a high interest in politics, who supported Bernie Sanders during the presidential election and expressed anger with President Donald Trump and Republican Congressmen. . . .
Hodgkinson’s Facebook page features a banner image of Senator Bernie Sanders and a profile picture about Democratic Socialism. His profile picture says, “Democratic Socialism explained in 3 words: ‘We the People’ Since 1776.” . . .
On March 22 he wrote, “Trump is a Traitor. Trump Has Destroyed Our Democracy. It’s Time to Destroy Trump & Co.”

We expect remarks from President Trump soon.

* * * PREVIOUSLY (8:31 a.m. EDT) * * *

Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the House Majority Whip, was wounded this morning when a gunman opened fire at an Alexandria, Virginia, park where Republican congressmen were practicing for the annual congressional baseball game. Scalise is expected to recover, according to reports, and at least two other people were wounded by the gunman, who was reportedly shot by a member of the congressman’s security detail.

(Via Memorandum. More at Instapundit.)

UPDATE: As with all fast-breaking stories like this, there is a lot of confusion and contradicting reports, and I must caution readers not to believe everything you’re hearing on TV or seeing online. Especially, avoid speculating about the gunman’s motive. We don’t know who the shooter is, and until he is identified, it is impossible to know why he did this. The obvious guess is that this is some sort of terrorism, and it is being reported that congressional aides encountered a man in the parking lot who asked whether the players on the baseball field were Republican or Democrats. If this man was the shooter, and opened fire knowing that his targets were Republican members of Congress, this obviously suggests a political motive. However, it has not been confirmed that this man was indeed the shooter, and we have no idea of what the gunman’s actual motive was. Therefore, don’t let speculation run wild.

We will have the facts soon enough. Be patient.

UPDATE II: Paula Bolyard at PJ Media:

Rep. Mo Brooks credits the Capitol Police officers for their incredible bravery and shooting skills, noting that they took out the shooter at a distance of 90-100 [feet] using pistols versus a heavily armed shooter with a rifle. “But for them, we would not have had a chance,” he told Wolf Blitzer. . . ..
Brooks estimates that there may have been as many as 25-30 members at the practice this morning. In other words, a target-rich environment with very little security.
“The field was basically a killing field,” says Sen. Rand Paul. He tells CNN it would have been a massacre if not for the Capitol Police officers preventing the advance of the gunman.
Chief Michael Brown from the Alexandria Police Department told reporters that five people were transported from the scene for medical treatment. That presumably includes the gunman, the two police officers, and reportedly two congressional staffers.

We still don’t have the identity of the gunman, although some witnesses described him as a white male in his 40s or 50s.

 

Category: Crime

Comments

One Response to “Republican Congressman Shot; UPDATE: Suspect Is Illinois ‘Democrat Socialist’”

  1. #TrumpDay – Happy Birthday, Mr. President Edition – MareZilla.com
    June 14th, 2017 @ 1:17 pm

    […] If you are looking for stuff about that shooting this morning (which was committed by a leftist, BTW), I suggest you visit America’s Last REAL Reporter, Stacy McCain. […]