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Breaking News
posted by takyon on Wednesday June 14 2017, @04:15PM   Printer-friendly
from the no-baseball-jokes dept.

A gunman opened fire at U.S. Congressmen and others who were gathered at a practice this morning for the Congressional Baseball Game. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and at least four others were reportedly injured. The gunman, who has been identified by unnamed sources as James T. Hodgkinson III, was taken to a local hospital where he died from his injuries:

A gunman unleashed a barrage of gunfire Wednesday at a park in Alexandria, Va., as Republican members of Congress held a morning baseball practice, wounding at least five people, including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (La.).

The suspected gunman is James T. Hodgkinson III, 66, from Illinois, according to multiple law enforcement sources. President Trump announced that the gunman, who was wounded in a shootout with officers, has died at an area hospital.

The wounded also included two Capitol Police officers and a congressional aide, according to one law enforcement official and witness accounts.

Congressman Scalise was shot in the hip and is in stable condition.

Hodgkinson's motive may have already been identified by the media:

A Facebook page belonging to a person with the same name includes pictures of Democratic presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders, and rhetoric against President Trump, including a post that reads: "Trump is a Traitor. Trump Has Destroyed Our Democracy. It's Time to Destroy Trump & Co."

Charles Orear, 50, a restaurant manager from St. Louis, said in an interview Wednesday that he became friendly with Hodgkinson during their work together in Iowa on Sanders's campaign. Orear said Hodgkinson was a passionate progressive and showed no signs of violence or malice toward others.

Also at LA Times, Reuters, The Atlantic, The Hill, and CNN.


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 14 2017, @08:15PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 14 2017, @08:15PM (#525647)

    Yes evil is out there, but the weird juxtaposition of statements seems more than just authoritarian racist bullshit. Conservatives have been pretty well radicalized as a group, so now it seems like conservative viewpoints are being used to bait liberals into radicalization. The posts make more sense from the perspective that they are solely intended to piss off liberals. Valid points don't matter, and discussions are simply platforms to continue the propaganda and piss people off even more. Successfully baiting a liberal into a discussion is the end-game. Queue more and more bullshit in attempts to get a reaction.

    If he isn't a foreign propagandist then he is a complete troll, and as he admitted he was trying to bait people with his initial post of predictions. I can only hope that one day we move past this politically volatile time and everyone just starts ignoring the online trolls.

  • (Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Wednesday June 14 2017, @09:24PM

    by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Wednesday June 14 2017, @09:24PM (#525674) Journal

    Well, yes, he *is* a troll, but that's not his entire MO. Trolls mostly just do it for the lulz. This keyboard Keystone Kop probably thinks he's advancing the cause of--what was it, again?--burning the lot down and starting fresh.

    I have to wonder what his BMI is, if he has a job, and how many weird action figures he has.

    --
    I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...