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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: 3, Insightful) by KGIII on Thursday June 15 2017, @12:05AM

    by KGIII (5261) on Thursday June 15 2017, @12:05AM (#525748) Journal

    I can't tell you what to do. I can tell you what I do.

    I accept it. I know that freedom carries great risks. I'd like to think we will someday stop stigmatizing mental illness and provide adequate care for the vulnerable and afflicted. At the same time, and I donate dearly to the ACLU, I know that it was the ACLU who finally got us to stop locking crazy people against their will. I don't want to take their rights away, so the easiest route is just making it acceptable, and affordable, for people to get help.

    For the record, I'm pretty left. I'm well to the left of any elected officials in this country. The difference is I reasoned my way here and many of them appear to have emoted their way here.

    --
    "So long and thanks for all the fish."
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