Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.
At least five people were hit Wednesday morning when a shooter opened fire at Republican members, who were practicing for Friday's annual Congressional baseball game.
They include Republican Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the House Majority Whip. He is reported to be in critical condition after surgery.
Also among those shot: two Capitol Hill police officers who were members of Scalise's security detail. Witnesses described the shooter as a man with white hair and a beard, who stood behind the dugout and fired as many as 50 shots from a rifle.
President Trump says the shooter died after engaging in a gunfight with officers at the scene.
Both the New York Times and Washington Post have identified him as sixty-six-year-old James T. Hodgkinson of Belleville, Illinois.
For reaction to the morning's events, Take Two spoke to California Congresswoman Linda Sanchez. She's on the Democrat's team that's scheduled to face off with Republicans in a game Thursday night. Sanchez was at a practice some miles away this morning. She says she was out on the field doing drills when she got the news:
The coach unexpectedly called us into the dugout. He had a really grave look on his face. I knew something serious had happened. I was expecting to hear something had been attacked or bombed when told us there had been a shooting at the Republican team's baseball practice in Virginia this morning.