(CNN) - The shooting at a GOP congressional baseball practice Wednesday could have been motivated by heightened partisanship, a Republican congressman who survived the attack told CNN.
In remarks at the White House delivered late Wednesday morning, President Donald Trump, though he did not mention Hodgkinson by name, said the gunman died following a shootout with Capitol Police.
Details are coming in about the suspected gunman in a shooting at a congressional baseball practice in Virginia Wednesday, who apparently volunteered for a presidential candidate's campaign previous year.
"I would try to chat him up and say stuff, but he never looked back at me", Brennwald said.
Sen. Sanders issued a statement Wednesday morning: "Our prayers go out for a full recovery of Rep. Scalise, the congressional aides and police officers who were injured. Real change can only come about through nonviolent action, and anything else runs against our most deeply held American values", Sanders said.
Court records show that Hodgkinson's legal trouble started in the 1990s with arrests for resisting police and drunken driving.
Another incident took place in 2006 involving an alleged domestic battery and unlawful discharge of a shotgun.
Though there are no other legal problems listed in St. Clair County, which includes Belleville, since 2011, Hodgkinson did come to the attention of local law enforcement as recently as March 24 of past year.
Gunman shooting at baseball practice field dead
Tim Slater of the FBI which is now leading the investigation said that it is "too early to tell whether anyone was targeted". Capitol Police and all those who were impacted by today's senseless violence at a baseball field in Alexandria , Virginia".
Hodgkinson owned a home inspection business in Belleville, Ill., but dissolved the corporation early this year, according to public records. Media reports said he was a 66-year-old home inspector.
A portrait of Sanders, the Independent senator from Vermont and the first Jewish candidate to win major nominating contests in a presidential primary season when he vied a year ago for the Democratic presidential nod, is the background photo on Hodgkinson's Facebook page. He was fatally wounded in an exchange of fire with police. Mr Orear said Mr Hodgkinson was "a passionate progressive" and showed no signs of violence or malice toward others, the newspaper said.
He once posted a petition on Facebook asking the Federal Elections Commission to open an election fraud investigation into Clinton and the Democratic National Committee. "Many, many, many thousands of people came through the Sanders campaign offices". Charges in that case were dismissed.
Filous said she saw the shooter hit a uniformed law enforcement officer, who she said was later evacuated by helicopter.
Hodgkinson's Facebook posts were frequently critical of Trump.
"Sometimes, I miss my family", he said.
Rep. Mike Bishop, R-Mich., said Scalise was at second base when he was shot.
CNN also reported that law enforcement authorities are searching through the suspect's social media postings, which included "anti-Trump rhetoric".
Comments