Scalise in 'good spirits' before surgery for bullet wound

A top House Republican, Steve Scalise of Louisiana, was shot Wednesday at a congressional baseball practice just outside of Washington, officials said.

Steve Scalise has been shot.

The team was taking batting practice when gunshots rang out and chaos erupted.

Terrified, the lawmakers watched as the gunman, who was wearing jeans and a blue shirt, moved methodically from near the third-base dugout to behind home plate as he fired round after round. He said he "Army-crawled" his way to taller grass and tried to reach the dugout, but bullets were hitting the dugout as well. "For all the noise and all the fury, we are one family", Ryan said. "Pop, pop, pop, pop - it's a sound I'll never forget".

"All of a sudden we heard a very loud shot".

During the baseball practice, a gunman opened fire and Wenstrup immediately went into medical mode, Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks said on CNN. She said the shooting "went on for quite a while". Several other people were also believed to have been hit, according to a lawmaker who witnessed the shooting. Jeff Flake called the man's wife. "You want to make sure the airway is open, make sure the person is breathing and "C" stands for circulation, which is basically trying to control blood loss", he said.

Scalise, 51, was first elected to the House in 2008 and served as chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a group of conservatives, before becoming whip in the leadership shuffle that followed the surprise defeat of then-Majority Leader Eric Cantor in a Republican primary. "He was coherent the whole time", Flake said. She said the officer was then evacuated by helicopter.

Capitol Police were also on hand because Scalise was present, NPR's Scott Horsley reports, and exchanged gunfire with the suspect.

He said the gunman had "a rifle of some sort. a lot of ammo". "And, you know, the look on his face was disturbing". "It is unclear whether Steve Scalise was targeted". "He asked me who was practicing this morning, Republicans or Democrats, and I said".

The Capitol Police officers who were injured are "in good condition and have not suffered any life-threatening injuries at this point", Capitol Police Chief Matthew Verderosa said at a news conference.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas also posted a note on Facebook. Five other victims, including staffers and aides as well as the gunman, haven't been identified.

Trump says, "We are deeply saddened by this tragedy".

Rep. Jeff Duncan of SC said he had just left the practice and encountered the apparent gunman in the parking lot before the shooting. "We're safe & with police, everyone praying for GOP colleagues, staff & Cap police", he wrote. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, and U.S. Reps.