Congressional Baseball Game Goes On Despite Shooting
The congressional baseball game will go on as planned in spite of yesterday’s shooting incident. It would be recalled that a gunman, identified as James Hodgkinson from Belleville, Illinois shot at House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana, congressional aides and Capitol Police officers in the early hours of Wednesday during a practice session for todays game.
The game is billed to hold at Nationals Park after Democrats and Republicans called for bipartisan unity.
"This bipartisan event shows baseball's power to bring people together," the Nationals said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with those wounded today and their families."
Steve Scalise, a member of the Republican baseball team suffered multiple injuries as a result of the shooting and he is said to be in a critical condition after several surgeries.
James Hodgkinson, 66, was also killed after he engaged in a shootout with police.
President Donald Trump and his wife Melania visited Scalise at the MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington. President Trump sat next to Scalise in the hospital and he also spoke to the congressman’s family.
"He's a patriot. And he's a fighter," Trump said. "He will recover from this assault -- and Steve, I want you to know that you have the prayers not only of the entire city behind you, but of an entire nation, and frankly the entire world."
"America is praying for you and America is praying for all of the victims of this terrible shooting," he said.
Doctors say Scalise has broken bones and some seriously damaged internal organs as a result of bullet travelling across his pelvis. He was also bleeding profusely.
"He underwent immediate surgery, and an additional procedure to stop bleeding. He has received multiple units of blood transfusion," the hospital said in a statement put out by Scalise's office.