The gunman, James Hodgkinson, 66, of Belleville, Illinois, was shot dead by Capitol Police officers last week after opening fire on lawmakers practicing for an annual Congressional baseball game in Alexandria, Virginia.
House Speaker Paul Ryan said he visited Rep. Steve Scalise on Thursday morning and that "his spirits are up" as he recovers from the gunshot wound he suffered last week.
Hodgkinson's social media accounts indicated strong anti-Republican views and an Federal Bureau of Investigation agent said on Wednesday items found on his body included a piece of paper with the names of six members of Congress but no context attached. Slater also said he wouldn't call the list a "hit list".
(Vale) "There was no nexus to terrorism".
Congressman Scalise has undergone several surgeries and remains hospitalized, but he continues to improve.
House Majority Whip Steve Scalise has been upgraded to "fair condition", MedStar Washington Hospital Center said Wednesday, a week after the shooting at the congressional baseball practice that left him wounded.
Indiana Pacers Get Multiple Offers for Paul George During the Draft
He led the Pacers to two Eastern Conference finals appearances besides making three All-NBA and All-Defensive Teams. Paul George has all but forced the Indiana Pacers to trade him, but, for now, the star's next team remains unknown.
Before being fatally shot multiple times by police, Hodgkinson wounded Scalise, a lobbyist for Tyson Foods and a congressional aide.
At this point in the investigation, the attack appears to be "more spontaneous" than planned, Slater said.
Slater says he specifically targeted GOP members and he goes on to say, "While the shooter was not known to have a diagnosed history of mental illness, he is known, or was known to have an anger management problem". Two Capitol Police officers assigned to protect Rep. Scalise engaged Hodgkinson in a gun duel, according to the #Alexandria Police Department. Hodgkinson maintained a social media presence that was pro-Bernie Sanders and anti-Republican.
President Donald Trump will make good on a campaign promise Friday when he signs a bill that gives leadership at the Department of Veterans Affairs more power to fire failed employees and protect those who uncover wrongdoing at the agency.
The night before the shooting, Hodgkinson looked up driving directions from Alexandria back to his home in Belleville and also did a Google search for the "2017 Republican Convention", according to online searches reviewed by investigators. Both firearms were purchased legally through federal firearms licenses. Records show that the battery case in 2006, which resulted in his arrest, was dismissed after a period of "supervision".
After the shooting, investigators searched Hodgkinson's home in IL and a storage facility in Alexandria he began renting in April. The FBI did not say what the response from the family member was. The unit contained a laptop, more than 200 rounds of ammunition, the receipt for his 2016 rifle purchase, and other rifle components.
Comments