Bonnie Watson-Coleman Thanks Police After Shooting That Injured Colleague

Rep. Bonnie Watson-Coleman (D-12) thanked the police on Capitol Hill for their response to the shooting during a baseball practice involving Republican members of Congress in Alexandria, Va. Wednesday morning. Five people were shot, including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise.

Alexandria Police Chief Michael Brown said that the five people were taken to area hospitals for treatment. Only the identity of Scalise has been made public.

The shooter was in police custody, and has been identified as James T. Hodgkinson of Belleville, Illinois, by multiple media outlets.

Scalise of Louisiana, a member of Team GOP and the No. 3 ranking Republican in the House, was taken by helicopter from the scene. The congressman, who was shot in the hip, was undergoing surgery at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, according to a statement from his office.

"Prior to entering surgery, the Whip was in good spirits and spoke to his wife by phone. He is grateful for the brave actions of U.S. Capitol Police, first responders, and colleagues," the statement said.

Scalise, a second baseman for the team, and members of his protective detail were shot by a suspect described by witnesses as a white man in his 50s. Click here for full coverage of the shooting in Alexandria.

With reporting by Elizabeth Janney.

Pictured, police and emergency personnel are seen near the scene where House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana was shot during a Congressional baseball practice in Alexandria on Wednesday, June 14. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen). Also, in a photo from Tuesday, June 13, Steve, joined by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., far right, and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., comments on health care for veterans during a news conference at Republican National Committee Headquarters on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)