Rep. Pascrell Was At Softball Practice When He Heard Of Shootings

Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (NJ-9) was practicing on the field with the Democratic congressional softball team when he heard about the shooting of House Majority Whip Steve Scalise.

James T. Hodgkinson shot two police officers and two others before he was killed in a shootout with Virginia and U.S. Capitol Police. President Trump identified Hodgkinson as the shooter.

According to a report by Herb Jackson of The Record, Pascrell and others immediately ran into the dugouts when they heard of the shootings.

"My thoughts are with my friend Steve Scalise, Republican team staff, and the brave Capitol Police officers, who sprang into action," Pascrell Jr. said in a statement posted on his Facebook page. "An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. We stand as one against this senseless brutality."

Hodgkinson, 66, owned a home inspection business, according to The Washington Post, and Sen. Bernie Sanders said and apparently volunteered for Trump's presidential campaign. An FBI spokesman declined to answer questions at a press conference on whether the attack was politically motivated, if Scalise was a target because he's a Republican leader, whether the shooting was an assassination attempt or if it was terrorism. A Facebook page that is believed to be run by Hodgkinson had a post in March calling President Trump a traitor and said he'd destroyed democracy.

Additional reporting by Elizabeth Janney

Send local news tips, photos, and press releases to daniel.hubbard@patch.com. Get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our new app. Download here.

Pictured: Rep. Bill Pascrell (NJ-9) — Official congressional picture