JUST IN: President Trump announces gunman at GOP baseball practice has died from injuries https://t.co/oPSs17MMVG https://t.co/DkGO0iV77p
— CNN (@CNN) June 14, 2017
Mere hours after House Majority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana), staffer Zack Barth and two Capitol Hill police officers were shot in a “deliberate attack” during the GOP Congressional baseball team’s early morning practice in Alexandria, Virginia, Donald Trump delivered remarks at the White House. The president, who offered his “thoughts and prayers” to “true friend and patriot” Scalise in an unusually restrained tweet, noted he and Vice President Mike Pence were “deeply saddened by this tragedy” and “monitoring developments closely” in a previous statement.
During his equally measured remarks before the press, however, Trump broke the news that the alleged shooter, 66-year-old James T. Hodgkinson, had died from his wounds. “A gunman opened fire [on] members of Congress and their staffs as they were practicing for tomorrow’s annual charity baseball game,” he said. “Authorities are continued to investigate the crime, and the assailant has now died from his injuries. The FBI is leading the investigation, and will continue to provide updates as new information becomes available.”
Aside from offering an update on the shooter’s condition, the president also spoke at length about Scalise and his condition, as well as the condition of the other victims. He also used the opportunity to call for unity among Republicans and Democrats alike, saying, “We may have our differences, but we do well in times like these to remember that everyone who serves in our nation’s capitol is here because, above all, they love our country.” In conclusion, Trump said, “We can all agree that we are blessed to be Americans, that our children deserve to grow up in a nation of safety and peace, and we are strongest when we are unified and when we work together for the common good.”
You can watch the president’s full remarks below.