President Donald Trump has just responded after a gunman opened fire on a GOP baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia.
In a statement delivered from the White House on Wednesday morning, Trump first announced that the suspected shooter has died from his injuries, something that was not previously known. He also praised the Capitol Hill police officers who are now recovering in the hospital.
“Many lives would have been lost if not for the heroic actions of the two Capitol Hill police officers who took down the gunman despite sustaining gunshot wounds during a very, very brutal assault,” Trump said.
Trump also said that Congressman Steve Scalice, who was shot but is recovering in the hospital, is a fighter and that he has the prayers of the nation behind him.
“America is praying for you, and America is praying for all of the victims of this terrible shooting,” Trump said.
The president went on to say that now is the time for Americans to come together because those in both parties love their country.
“We may have our differences, but we do well in times like these to remember that everyone who serves in our nation’s capitol is here because, above all, they love our country,” Trump said. “We can all agree that we are blessed to be Americans, that our children deserve to grow up in a nation of safety and peace, and that we are strongest when we are unified and when we work together for the common good.”
Early on Wednesday morning, a man opened fire on Republican congressman and staffers at a GOP baseball practice near Washington, D.C. They were practicing for a bipartisan game that was to take place on Thursday in Nationals Park, though it’s not clear whether this game will still happen.
The suspected shooter has been identified as James T. Hodgkinson, who shared a number of liberal political positions on his Facebook page.