ST. LOUIS —James Hodgkinson of Belleville, Illinois is accused of shooting five people Wednesday morning during practice for a charity baseball game. One of the people he shot was a US congressman. He was killed during a shootout with police.
FOX 2 interviewed Hodgkinson in 2011 during an “Occupy” protest at Kiener Plaza in downtown St. Louis.
“The 99 percent are getting pushed around and the one percent don’t give a damn. So, we got to speak up for the whole country,” said Hodgkinson.
A Washington hospital says the congressman shot during a baseball practice is in critical condition following surgery. MedStar Washington said in a tweet Wednesday afternoon that Rep. Steve Scalise “was critically injured ad remains in critical condition.” It provided no further details about him.
Scalise was among several people wounded when a rifle-wielding attacker fired on Republican lawmakers on a baseball field in Alexandria, Virginia, outside Washington. The attacker was shot and later died. The hospital said another victim of the shooting is in good condition. It did not identify the victim.
The FBI says it’s investigating the social media presence and motives of the Illinois man suspected in a shooting that injured Rep. Steve Scalise and several others.
The FBI on Wednesday confirmed the gunman’s identity as 66-year-old James Hodgkinson of Belleville, Illinois. Officials say they’re investigating Hodgkinson’s whereabouts, associates, web postings and “potential motivations.” Authorities are searching his home in Illinois.
The FBI says five people overall were taken to hospitals with gunshot wounds, including the shooter, Scalise, a Capitol Police officer, a congressional staffer and a lobbyist. Another congressman suffered minor injuries. Hodgksinson later died.
Meanwhile, the Capitol Police says one of its officers is in good condition after having been shot in the ankle and another was treated and released with a minor injury.
Congresswoman Claudia Tenney received a threatening email shortly after a man opened fire on members of Congress and others on a baseball field. The subject line read, “One down, 216 to go…”
That’s according to the New York Republican’s spokeswoman, Hannah Andrews, who said her office alerted Capitol Police. There are 238 Republicans in the House, but 217 voted for a bill that would repeal and replace President Barack Obama’s health law. It was unclear whether the email writer was referring to that vote.
