Former Alabama legislator wounded in shooting
A former Alabama state representative was shot several times inside his car but didn’t report the shooting. WSFA-TV reports former Rep. James Thomas was wounded last week on Aug. 5 and has since recovered. Selma Interim Police Chief Robert Green says Wilcox County Sheriff’s Office asked the department to check on Thomas. Police discovered Thomas’ vehicle laced with bullet holes and blood on a seat. Thomas says someone fired at his vehicle near the George Washington Carver Homes. Green says Thomas didn’t report the shooting but police are now investigating. Thomas was elected to the state House of Representatives in 1982. AL.com says Thomas was sentenced in 2012 to one year in jail for having sexual contact with a female student while he was the principal at a high school. Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
Alabama’s deadly shooting sends a chill through black gun owners
Gun-rights advocates like to say, “The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is with a good guy with a gun.” Some black gun owners, though, are not so sure it’s a wise idea for them to try to be the good guy and pull out a weapon in public. Twice in the span of 11 days last month, a black man who drew a gun in response to a crime in the U.S. was shot to death by a white police officer after apparently being mistaken for the bad guy. Some African-Americans who are licensed to carry weapons say cases like those make them hesitant to step in to protect others. “I’m not an advocate of open-carry if you’re black,” said the Rev. Kenn Blanchard, a Second Amendment activist and host of the YouTube program “Black Man With a Gun TV,” a gun advocacy show. “We still have racism. … We still scare people. The psychology of fear, it’s bigger than the Second Amendment.” The recent shootings of Jemel Roberson and Emantic Bradford Jr. amplified long-held fears that bad things can happen when a black man is seen with a gun. Roberson was working security at a Robbins, Illinois, bar when he was killed Nov. 11 while holding at gunpoint a man involved in a shooting. Witnesses said the officer ordered the 26-year-old Roberson to drop his gun before opening fire. But witnesses also reportedly shouted that Roberson, who had a firearms permit, was a guard. And a fellow guard said Roberson was wearing a knit hat and sweatshirt that were emblazoned “Security.” Bradford, 21, was killed Thanksgiving night by an officer responding to a report of gunfire at a shopping mall in Hoover, Alabama. Police initially identified Bradford as the gunman but later backtracked and arrested another suspect. Ben Crump, a lawyer for the dead man’s family, said witnesses claimed Bradford was trying to wave people away from the shooting. Crump said Bradford was licensed to carry a weapon but was presumably seen as a threat because he was a black man. The two shootings have brought up some of the same questions about racist assumptions and subconscious fears that were asked after the killings of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida. Trevor Noah, host of “The Daily Show,” lamented Bradford’s death. “That’s what they always say, right? ‘The good guy with a gun stops the crime,’” Noah said. “But then if the good guy with a gun turns out to be a black good guy with a gun, they don’t get any of the benefits.” In some other cases involving black men killed by police: Philando Castile was shot in a car in 2016 in Minnesota, seconds after informing the officer he had a gun. The officer was acquitted of manslaughter. And John Crawford III was shot in a Walmart in Ohio in 2014 while holding a BB gun he had picked up in the sporting goods section. Security footage showed he never pointed it at anyone. According to the advocacy group Mapping Police Violence, 1,147 people were killed by police in 2017, 92 percent of them in shootings. While blacks made up 13 percent of the U.S. population, they accounted for 27 percent of those killed by police, 35 percent of those killed by police while unarmed, and 34 percent of those killed while unarmed and not attacking, the organization said. Andre Blount of Tomball, Texas, once pulled out his shotgun to help a neighbor who was being attacked by an armed white man. The police eventually arrived and defused the situation, he said. “For me, being a legally registered owner and having a concealed weapon permit, I feel like I have to be more careful than the next person,” Blount said. “Because if not, the only thing anyone sees is a black man with a gun.” Blount said he tells younger black gun owners to really consider whether it’s worth risking their lives in coming to someone’s aid with a weapon. “You want your kids to help someone, but you don’t want them to be shot trying to help someone,” he said. “It’s a sad thing.” Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
Authorities arrest suspect in Thanksgiving shooting at Hoover mall where police killed man they thought was shooter
The Latest on a Thanksgiving night shooting at a mall in Alabama (all times local): 11:30 p.m. Authorities say they have arrested a suspect in a Thanksgiving night shooting at an Alabama shopping mall where police killed a man they thought was the shooter. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency says 20-year-old Erron Martez Dequan Brown of Bessemer was charged with attempted murder in the Nov. 22 shooting at the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover. Inspector Frank Lempka with the U.S. Marshals in Atlanta said Brown was arrested Thursday morning at a relative’s home in South Fulton, just outside of Atlanta. Lempka said Brown was taken to the Fulton County jail for an extradition hearing to be sent back to Alabama. Emantic “EJ” Bradford Jr. was killed by an officer responding to the report of a mall shooting. Police said Bradford had a gun, and they initially blamed him for opening fire. They later retracted that allegation. ___ 10 a.m. Leaders of an Alabama city that’s been the target of protests since police shot and killed a black man in a shopping mall are asking the state for permission to release more information about the killing. Hoover city officials made the request during an appearance Thursday. They say they’ll look at releasing information on their own if no response comes by noon Monday. Demonstrators and relatives of Emantic “EJ” Bradford Jr. have pushed authorities to release video and other evidence. Bradford was killed by an officer responding to a report of a mall shooting on Thanksgiving. The state is investigating and so far has refused to release video and other information about the killing. A spokesman for the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
2 a.m. press statement signals change from Hoover PD after shooting outrage
In the wake of a Thanksgiving night shooting at Alabama’s largest mall, the City of Hoover and its police department issued a joint statement minutes before 2 a.m. Monday promising transparency in their ongoing investigation. The incident, which occurred at the Riverchase Galleria in the Birmingham suburb of Hoover, took place shortly before 10 p.m. CT. It left a gunman dead as well as two individuals wounded. The shooting left Emantic Fitzgerald Bradford Jr. of Hueytown shot and killed. Hoover police had initially believed Bradford to be the shooter, with officers saying they saw him fleeing the scene while brandishing a handgun. But by Friday night, Hoover police issued a statement saying Bradford“likely did not fire the rounds” the injured the other two victims. They believe the actual gunman remains at large. On Saturday, more than 200 protesters marched through the Galleria chanting in protest of what happened to Bradford. There, they chanted “E.J.” and “no justice, no peace, no racist police,” holding signs that read “Emantic’s Life Matters.” Overnight the City of Hoover, in a joint statement with the Hoover Police Department, issued a statement addressing the ongoing investigation. “Our deepest sympathy and thoughts are extended to the families of those affected by the traumatic events surrounding the officer-involved shooting last Thursday evening, November 22, 2018. We extend sympathy to the family of Emantic J. Bradford of Hueytown, who was shot and killed during Hoover Police efforts to secure the scene in the seconds following the original altercation and shooting. The loss of human life is a tragedy under any circumstances,” read the statement. “Beginning today, we will provide weekly updates to news media each Monday by 10:30 a.m. Central time. We hope this helps keep the media and the public informed of what we know and are able to share without jeopardizing the investigation.” Read the full statement below: JOINT STATEMENT CITY OF HOOVER, ALABAMA AND THE HOOVER, ALABAMA POLICE DEPARTMENT OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING ON NOVEMBER 22, 2018 (November 26, 2018) We want everyone who lives in, works in, works for, or visits Hoover to know that we are a city that puts safety and respect in the highest regard for all citizens. We will be transparent throughout the course of this investigation. Beginning today, we will provide weekly updates to news media each Monday by 10:30 a.m. Central time. We hope this helps keep the media and the public informed of what we know and are able to share without jeopardizing the investigation. We will also keep the public informed of any developments through our website and the social media pages belonging to the City and to the Police Department. Should significant developments occur prior to any given regular Monday update, we will provide that news as soon as we can. Our deepest sympathy and thoughts are extended to the families of those affected by the traumatic events surrounding the officer-involved shooting last Thursday evening, November 22, 2018. We extend sympathy to the family of Emantic Fitzgerald Bradford, Jr., of Hueytown, who was shot and killed during Hoover Police efforts to secure the scene in the seconds following the original altercation and shooting. The loss of human life is a tragedy under any circumstances. We can say with certainty Mr. Bradford brandished a gun during the seconds following the gunshots, which instantly heightened the sense of threat to approaching police officers responding to the chaotic scene. Body camera video and other available video was immediately turned over to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department as part of the investigation. Now, all evidence has been handed over to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) to lead the investigation. Release of any video will be done as ALEA deems appropriate during the investigation. Our thoughts are also with the family of the 18-year-old young man who suffered gunshot wounds in the altercation between mall patrons, as well as the family of the 12-year-old girl who was an innocent bystander also wounded by gunfire in the initial shooting. These are just some of the many lives that were immediately impacted by an event so unnecessary on what should have been a peaceful Thanksgiving evening. We continue to support ALEA in its investigation of last Thursday’s tragic events, including pursuing the initial shooter who still remains at large. We have certain information about this individual and ask the public to provide ALEA with any available details that may hasten an arrest.
Alabama lowers flags for victims of Maryland newspaper shooting
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey ordered American flags to be lowered to half-staff to honor the victims of a deadly shooting last week at an Annapolis, Md., newspaper. According to the Associated Press, Ivey’s office issued a statement saying flags will be lowered through sunset Tuesday in honor of the five people —- four reporters and one supporting staff member — who were killed at the Capital Gazette last week. Ivey’s announcement followed President Donald Trump‘s requesting all flags — on public buildings, military posts, naval vessels, embassies abroad and other locations — be lowered nationwide until sunset Tuesday evening. “Our nation shares the sorrow of those affected by the shooting at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland. Americans across the country are united in calling upon God to be with the victims and to bring aid and comfort to their families and friends,” stated the proclamation from Trump.
Stop vilifying gun owners and NRA members every shooting
Yesterday’s tragedy in Florida reminds us (again) that life is precious and evil exists. Shootings, as with other acts of violence and terrorism, have always struck me to the core. Innocent lives lost locally, across the nation or even across the globe are a tragedy that no one should endure. I thought I understood loss and fear — then I became a mother. As a mother, it makes me want to hold on to my children close and never let them out of my sight, though these days even that wouldn’t guarantee their safety. My children are my heart. I can’t begin to fathom the agony that the parents must feel losing theirs. When we have situations like the one in South Florida or Las Vegas, or any other gun tragedy, the question that come to mind first is how could this have been prevented? Yet very quickly, it stops being about actual prevention. And it becomes nothing more than a politically polarizing fight of us vs. them. Gun owners vs. gun critics. Facts and fiction get twisted. We saw this with the exaggeration of how many school shootings there had been, a Bloomberg group cited 18. That number includes more than violent acts it in schools during school settings. A Washington Post article sorts through the fact vs. fiction of that including the fact that number included an adult suicide in the parking lot of a school that had not been in use in seven months. It also included the discharge of a firearm after school hours and a few accidental discharges. But facts didn’t stop countless news outlets across the country from repeating the Bloomberg propaganda, and the facts certainly won’t stop the bad information from being spread throughout the internet. This brings me to the emotional arguments of gun control that follow shootings. There are those who believe that if you support gun rights you don’t have compassion for the lives lost, that you don’t value life, or that in some way you are responsible for this level of violence that we see. That’s simply not true. It’s disgusting to dehumanize someone based on their position on gun control. Just as it is wrong for conservatives to dehumanize pro-choice supporters. We are all human and I don’t know a single person who’s not rocked to the core by these senseless acts of violence and terror. I worked for the NRA-ILA for two campaign seasons. While I in no way speak for the organization, I can tell you about my personal experience. I went to both gun shops and gun shows and talked to gun owners. There’s such a strong sense of community and family among those who own firearms, and they absolutely want to protect their Second Amendment rights. But they also love life and those around them. Second Amendment supporters are opposed to and appalled, shocked and disgusted by gun crime. Those two things are not mutually exclusive. You don’t have to have a dead heart to be a member of the NRA or support Second Amendment rights. Opposing limitations on the lawful ownership and use of firearms and/or belonging to a group that is not the same as supporting crime and certainly is not an indictment on one’s character as gun opponents would have you believe. So what does “I am the NRA” mean to me? It means that I am member of an organization, a group of people who support fundamental, American rights. You may not understand someone’s need or want for a specific type of gun, but that does not mean that gun should be banned. You may not understand the need of, or desire, for someone to recreationally shoot firearms, but your opinion doesn’t trump their rights. I don’t like some profane words — I recently wrote a blog about the n-word. I don’t understand why people choose to use it. But it’s their right. I don’t understand lyrics to songs that incite violence, dehumanize women and negate the value of law enforcement, but I understand that they stem from someone’s right to express themselves and they exist for those who do enjoy them. Don’t tell me words don’t kill people the same way as guns because I’d argue they can, and do. Words can incite violence, and hatred, and disrespect, and that they’re immeasurably powerful. This is why we rallied as a nation when the Charlottesville protest happened to shout out the voices of hate. The idea that “common sense regulations” will stop violence is simply not the case. What we really need to get to is the heart of the matter. Everyone is looking for answers, as they do after each shooting. Even more than that, they’re looking for something that will give them a sense of control. It is during these initial days, full of grief and rage, that gun control advocates and Second Amendment supporters inevitably find themselves inundated with opinions from the other side. The shouting drowns out the solutions we could agree on. The solutions we do agree on which there are many. It also drowns out the questions that go beyond gun control that suck the air out of the room: Knowing that studies have shown early exposure to violent forms of entertainment are predictors of later aggressive behavior why aren’t we doing more to limit access to this source of influence? The Texas shooting showed a breakdown in reporting that allowed someone who was ineligible to purchase a firearm to do so. In the case of Florida would an involuntary mental health hold on the young man who committed the atrocious acts have put him in the system so that he would not have been able to purchase his firearm? Teachers and former classmates say while he was a student, he had an angry disposition that led to him being expelled and flagged as a danger on school grounds. Last year, he had reportedly commented on a YouTube post that he would be a “professional
Las Vegas hospitals swamped with victims after country music festival shooting
The victims just kept coming. In cars, in ambulances waiting four or five deep, from the walking wounded to the barely alive, they arrived in droves. “I have no idea who I operated on,” said Dr. Jay Coates, a trauma surgeon whose hospital took in many of the wounded after a gunman opened fire from his 32nd-floor hotel suite Sunday night on a country music concert below. “They were coming in so fast, we were taking care of bodies. We were just trying to keep people from dying.” It was the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, with at least 59 killed and 527 injured, some by gunfire, some during the chaotic escape. University Medical Center of Southern Nevada was one of many hospitals that were overflowing. “Every bed was full,” Coates said. “We had people in the hallways, people outside and more people coming in.” He said the huge, horrifying wounds on his operating table told him this shooting was something different. “It was very clear that the first patient I took back and operated on that this was a high-powered weapon,” Coates said. “This wasn’t a normal street weapon. This was something that did a lot of damage when it entered the body cavity.” The gunman, 64-year-old high-stakes gambler and retired accountant Stephen Paddock, killed himself as authorities stormed his hotel room at the Mandalay Bay hotel casino. He had 23 guns – some with scopes – in the room where he had been staying since Thursday. He knocked out two windows to create sniper’s perches he used to rain bullets on the crowd of 22,000 some 500 yards away. He also had two “bump stocks” that can be used to modify weapons to make them fully automatic, according to two U.S. officials briefed by law enforcement who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is still unfolding. At Paddock’s home, authorities found 19 more guns, explosives and thousands of rounds of ammunition. Also, several pounds of ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer that can be turned into explosives, were in his car, authorities said. Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
President Donald Trump to address the shooting in Las Vegas
President Donald Trump is extending condolences to the victims of the shooting in Las Vegas and their families. In a tweet Monday, Trump offered “My warmest condolences and sympathies to the victims and families of the terrible Las Vegas shooting. God bless you!” My warmest condolences and sympathies to the victims and families of the terrible Las Vegas shooting. God bless you! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2017 The White House said Trump was expected to make remarks Monday morning, though details were not finalized. White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump was “briefed on the horrific tragedy in Las Vegas.” Sanders said that “we are monitoring the situation closely and offer our full support to state and local officials. All of those affected are in our thoughts and prayers.” A gunman’s attack on the Sunday night country music concert killed at least 50 people and sent more than 400 to area hospitals. It’s the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. The U.S. Homeland Security Department says there is no “specific credible threat” involving other public venues. Police have not yet determined a motive in the shootings. Since Trump’s inauguration, there have been other mass shootings, including one in Texas last month, when a gunman killed eight and was fatally shot by police. But the Las Vegas attack is the deadliest on Trump’s watch. The president offered a measured, somber response in June, after a shooting at a shooting at a congressional baseball practice that wounded five, including seriously injuring Rep. Steve Scalise. But he has drawn criticism for more inflammatory reactions to other acts of violence. After a shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando that left 49 dead in 2016, he tweeted “Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism.” In the wake of a deadly terror attack in London in June, Trump targeted the city’s mayor on Twitter, suggesting he wasn’t taking the attacks seriously enough. Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
More than 50 killed, 400 injured as gunman opens fire at Las Vegas concert
A gunman perched on the 32nd floor of a Las Vegas casino unleashed a hail of bullets on an outdoor country music festival below, killing at least 50 people as tens of thousands of concertgoers screamed and ran for their lives, officials said Monday. It was the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. More than 400 other victims were taken to the hospital, authorities said. SWAT teams using explosives stormed the gunman’s hotel room and found he had killed himself, authorities said. He had as many as 10 guns with him, including rifles, they said. There was no immediate word on the motive for the bloodshed. Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said authorities believe this was a “lone wolf” attack. And the U.S. Homeland Security Department said there was no “specific credible threat” involving other public venues in the U.S. Country music star Jason Aldean was performing Sunday night at the end of the three-day Route 91 Harvest Festival in front of a crowd of more than 22,000 when the gunman opened fire from inside the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino across the street. The gunman was identified as Stephen Craig Paddock, 64, of Mesquite, Nevada. He had checked into the hotel room on Thursday, authorities said. “What we are going to try to do as best we can is to get our first responders back on their feet and responding and conducting a proper investigation to ensure that we have the safety of this community at heart,” the sheriff said. Aldean was in the middle of a song when the shots came rapidly: pop-pop-pop-pop. Video then showed Aldean stopping and the crowd getting quiet as if it were unsure of what had just happened. The gunman paused and then fired another volley, the muzzle flashes visible from the casino, as more victims fell to the ground while others fled in panic. Some hid behind concession stands, while others crawled under parked cars. Kodiak Yazzie, 36, said the music stopped temporarily when the first shots began and then started up again before the second round of pops sent the performers ducking for cover and fleeing the stage. “It was the craziest stuff I’ve ever seen in my entire life,” Yazzie said. “You could hear that the noise was coming from west of us, from Mandalay Bay. You could see a flash, flash, flash, flash.” Monique Dumas, of British Columbia, Canada, said she was at the concert, six rows from the stage, when she thought she heard a bottle breaking, then a burst of pops that sounded liked fireworks. Couples held hands as they ran through the dirt lot. Faces were etched with shock and confusion, and people wept and screamed. Some were bloodied, and some were carried out by fellow concertgoers. Dozens of ambulances took away the wounded, while some people loaded victims into their cars and drove them to the hospital. Police shut down busy Las Vegas Boulevard, and federal and state authorities converged on the scene. Interstate 15 was briefly closed and flights at McCarran International Airport were suspended. Hospital emergency rooms were jammed with victims. “It’s a devastating time,” the sheriff said. Jose Baggett, 31, of Las Vegas, said he and a friend were in the lobby of the Luxor hotel-casino — directly north of the festival — when people began to run, almost in a stampede. He said people were crying, and as he and his friend started walking away minutes later, they encountered police checkpoints, armored personnel vehicles and a multitude of police cars. The dead included at least three off-duty police officers from various departments who were attending the concert, authorities said. Two on-duty officers were wounded, one critically, police said. Hours after the shooting, Aldean posted on Instagram that he and his crew were safe and that the shooting was “beyond horrific.” Tonight has been beyond horrific. I still dont know what to say but wanted to let everyone know that Me and my Crew are safe. My Thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved tonight. It hurts my heart that this would happen to anyone who was just coming out to enjoy what should have been a fun night. #heartbroken #stopthehate A post shared by Jason Aldean (@jasonaldean) on Oct 2, 2017 at 1:17am PDT “It hurts my heart that this would happen to anyone who was just coming out to enjoy what should have been a fun night,” Aldean said. President Donald Trump tweeted: “My warmest condolences and sympathies to the victims and families of the terrible Las Vegas shooting. God bless you!” My warmest condolences and sympathies to the victims and families of the terrible Las Vegas shooting. God bless you! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2017 Before Sunday, the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history took place in June 2016, when a gunman opened fire at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, killing 49 people Sunday’s shooting came more than four months after a suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, that killed 22 people. Almost 90 people were killed by gunmen inspired by Islamic State at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris during a performance by Eagles of Death Metal in November 2015. Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
Mo Brooks Second Amendment ad doesn’t avoid Scalise shooting
Republican U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks released a new ad for his Senate campaign touting his position on the Second Amendment in the aftermath of the July 14 shooting in Alexandria, Va., that left four wounded, including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise. The 30-second ad opens with a black background and the sound of gunfire before displaying text that reads “June 14: A Bernie Sanders supporter fires on Republican Congressmen.” The next slide fades in and reads “Mo Brooks gives his belt as a tourniquet to help the wounded” followed by “What’s the liberal media immediately ask?” The ad then cuts to news footage shortly after the shooting where Brooks is asked by a reporter whether the event changes his views on “the gun situation in America.” “The Second Amendment, the right to bear arms is to ensure that we always have a republic, so no I’m not changing my position on any of the rights that we enjoy as Americans,” Brooks said. The ad has upset at least two Scalise staffers, including Brett Horton, Scalise’s Chief of Staff, since its release. Monday afternoon, Horton tweeted: The day of the shooting, while waiting at the hospital, I avoided the news/audio/video as much as possible. This makes my stomach turn. — Brett Horton (@bretthhorton) July 24, 2017 In an email to The Washington Post, Chris Bond, a spokesperson for Scalise echoed Horton’s distaste, “I guess some people have their own ideas about what’s appropriate, don’t they?” Brooks is one of several Republicans vying for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions earlier this year. Among his competition is sitting Sen. Luther Strange, who was appointed to the seat by former Gov. Robert Bentley, and former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore. The special primary election is set for Aug. 15. A primary runoff, if necessary, will be Sept. 26 and the general election is scheduled for Dec. 12. The winner of the general election will serve out the remainder of former Sessions’ term, which runs through Jan. 2021.
Shooting forces lawmakers to rethink their security
The shooting at a baseball field that critically wounded a Republican congressman and injured several others is forcing lawmakers to ask what more should be done to ensure the safety of themselves and their staff. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said Thursday she favors more money for the U.S. Capitol Police, which is seeking an 8 percent increase to nearly $427 million for next year. Pelosi said more money would help the agency enhance its presence when members of Congress, staff and others congregate away from the Capitol. “It’s security for other people who are there, too,” she said. “If somebody is coming after a member of Congress, you don’t want to be anywhere nearby.” Members of the U.S. Capitol Police engaged in a shootout with the assailant on Wednesday, and lawmakers said their presence probably prevented many deaths. Two police officers were injured; the shooter, James Hodgkinson, later died. The Capitol Police were at the ballfield in Virginia because Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., is the majority whip and member of the leadership. Other members of Congress are not afforded the same security as congressional leaders. “It seems self-evident that when the teams are practicing, there should be security there,” Pelosi said. Even before the shooting, Speaker Paul Ryan and Pelosi had begun talking about changes that could improve members’ safety, said Ryan’s spokeswoman, AshLee Strong. Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Texas, who was at the baseball practice when the shooting happened, said one of the lessons lawmakers learned from the shooting of Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in 2011 was to consult closely with local law enforcement. He said political passions have only increased since then, particularly in recent months. “All of that heat is different than what it was when Gabby got shot, so yeah, I think we’ll take a hard look at it,” Conaway said. “We don’t need to be knee-jerk reactionaries. We need to assess what the real risks are.” He was struck by the fact that the attacker was armed with a rifle while the police officers only had pistols. He said the officers “might have put the guy down quicker if they had been able to use a long gun instead of just pistols.” “One of the things I think we need to look at is what they have available for them should something like this happen in the future,” Conaway said. While the officers did not use rifles in responding to the shooting Wednesday, it is common for them to carry rifles while patrolling the Capitol grounds. Rep. Tom MacArthur, R-N.J., is among lawmakers who have received death threats in recent months. He has reported them to Capitol police. “Many, many members have reported the same thing,” said MacArthur, who was influential in moving a health overhaul bill through the House. “I’m not just talking about the general, ‘I hope you die,’ ‘I hope you get cancer.’ We’re all getting those, too, but some of those are more threatening, and you have to take those seriously.” MacArthur said local law enforcement has helped with protection at public events in his district. He said some 15 officers attended a May town-hall meeting where many in the angry crowd blamed him for helping to revive the GOP’s health care bill. “That gives me some comfort,” he said, of the local police presence. Before the shooting, Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La., said he had asked Ryan about increasing budgets for members’ offices so they can pay for more security. “In the grand scheme of things you’re only talking about a million or so dollars and you’re talking about saving lives,” Richmond said. “I think it’s well worth it.” Currently, the office allowance cannot be used for home security. Congress would have to approve a change in policy. The House sergeant-at-arms is also in touch with the Federal Election Commission about the possibility of allowing the use of campaign funds for security, Strong said. Some lawmakers are talking about carrying a gun with them, although weapons are prohibited in the Capitol and the District of Columbia has some of the toughest gun laws in the nation, with carrying a firearm generally prohibited. Metropolitan Police also require that all firearms be registered with them. Still, Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., who has a permit in his home state, said, “It’s going to be in my pocket from this day forward.” Asked about carrying a gun, Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, said: “Sure, I mean I’m from Texas.” And Ralph Norman, a South Carolina Republican running for Congress, said he has a concealed carry permit and thinks members of Congress should be able to protect themselves. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Steve Scalise will need more surgery following shooting
A rifle-wielding attacker opened fire on Republican lawmakers as they practiced for a charity baseball game Wednesday, critically wounding House GOP Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana and hitting aides and Capitol police as congressmen and others dove for cover. The assailant, who had nursed grievances against President Donald Trump and the GOP, fought a gun battle with police before he, too, was shot and later died. Colleagues said Scalise had been fielding balls at second base at a local park in Alexandria, just across the Potomac River from the nation’s capital, as the Republicans practiced for their annual game with Democrats. He dragged himself away from the infield leaving a trail of blood before fellow lawmakers could rush to his assistance. He was listed in critical condition Wednesday night at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, which said he will require several more operations. The hospital says he was shot in the left hip, after which ‘‘the bullet traveled across his pelvis, fracturing bones, injuring internal organs and causing severe bleeding.’’ The shooter was identified as James T. Hodgkinson, a 66-year-old home inspector from Illinois who had several minor run-ins with the law in recent years and belonged to a Facebook group called ‘‘Terminate the Republican Party.’’ He had been living out of his van in the Alexandria area in recent months, the FBI said Capitol Police officers who were in Scalise’s security detail wounded the shooter. He later died of his injuries, Trump told the nation from the White House. The attack on Republicans practicing for a ballgame deeply shook a capital already balancing on what often seems to be a razor’s edge. ‘‘Everyone on that field is a public servant,’’ Trump said, his tone somber, America’s acrimonious politics set aside for the moment. ‘‘Their sacrifice makes democracy possible.’’ Lawmakers noted their good fortune in having armed protectors on hand — ‘‘Thank God,’’ they exclaimed over and over — and said otherwise the shooter would have been able to take a huge deadly toll. The events left the capital horrified and stunned, and prompted immediate reflection on the current hostility and vitriol in American politics. Lawmakers called for a new dialogue on lowering the partisan temperature, and Trump urged Americans to come together as he assumed the role of national unifier for one of the first times in his presidency. Trump later visited the hospital where Scalise was recovering. The president then tweeted: ‘‘Rep. Steve Scalise, one of the truly great people, is in very tough shape – but he is a real fighter. Pray for Steve!’’ Proceedings were canceled for the day in the House, and instead, Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California issued their own calls for unity. ‘‘An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us,’’ Ryan said, to prolonged applause. Shortly after the shooting, Bernie Sanders, the former candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, said on the Senate floor that the shooter apparently was a volunteer for his campaign last year. Sanders said he denounced the violence ‘‘in the strongest possible terms.’’ Scalise, 51, the No. 3 House Republican leader, was first elected in 2008. The popular and gregarious lawmaker is known for his love of baseball and handed out commemorative bats when he secured the job of House whip several years ago. Texas Rep. Roger Williams said that one of his aides, Zack Barth, was shot but was doing well and expected to fully recover. Two Capitol Police officers sustained relatively minor injuries. A former congressional aide was hospitalized. The shooting occurred at a popular park and baseball complex where Republican lawmakers and others were gathered for a morning practice about 7 a.m. They were in good spirits despite the heat and humidity as they prepared for the annual congressional baseball match that pits Republicans against Democrats. The popular annual face-off, which raises money for charity, is scheduled for Thursday evening at Nationals Park across the Potomac River in Washington, and will go forward as planned. Hodgkinson has been in the area since March, living out of his van, said Washington FBI Special Agent In Charge Tim Slater. Democratic former Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille said he had spoken often with the man on recent mornings at the nearby YMCA. Hodgkinson’s apparent Facebook page included strong criticism of Republicans and the Trump administration. But Slater said authorities were still working to determine a motive and had no indication Hodgkinson knew about the baseball practice ahead of time. The GOP lawmakers’ team was taking batting practice when gunshots rang out and chaos erupted. After Scalise was hit, said Rep. Mo Brooks, an Alabama Republican, the congressman ‘‘crawled into the outfield, leaving a trail of blood.’’ ‘‘We started giving him the liquids, I put pressure on his wound in his hip,’’ Brooks said. The gunman had a rifle and ‘‘a lot of ammo,’’ said Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, who was at the practice. Texas Rep. Joe Barton, still in his baseball uniform, told reporters that Scalise’s security detail, Capitol Hill police and then Alexandria police returned fire in a battle that lasted as long as 10 minutes and included dozens of shots. ‘‘The security detail saved a lot of lives,’’ he said. ‘‘It was scary.’’ Lawmakers took cover in the dugout. Barton said his son, Jack, got under an SUV. Texas Rep. Mike Conaway described what sounded like an explosion, then lawmakers scattering off the field as police roamed in search of the gunman and engaged him. ‘‘The guy’s down to a handgun, he dropped his rifle, they shoot him, I go over there, they put him in handcuffs,’’ Conaway said, adding that if the shooter had ‘‘gotten inside the fence, where a bunch of guys were holed up in the dugout, it would have been like shooting fish in a barrel.’’ Rep. Jeff Duncan of South Carolina said he had just left the practice and encountered the apparent gunman in the parking lot before the shooting.
