WASHINGTON (WHDH) — New England lawmakers, including the congressional delegation, offered their support to House Majority Whip Steve Scalise the others wounded in a shooting in Alexandria, Virginia Wednesday.
“My thoughts are with [Rep. Steve Scalise], all those injured and the brave Capitol Police who protect us every day,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Twitter.
Police said a gunman opened fire on Republican lawmakers at a congressional baseball practice, wounding Scalise and several others. The gunman, identified by officials as 66-year-old James Hodgkinson of Illinois, was killed after a shootout with police.
“To [Rep. Steve Scalise], the other shooting victims and their families: I am praying for you. You have the strength of the nation with you right now,” Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said on Twitter.
Lawmakers offered their gratitude to the Capitol Police, who were on the scene within minutes. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) said the officers prevented the shooting from becoming a “massacre.”
Rep. Bill Keating (D-Mass.) said Scalise is a friend of his and they have gotten to know each other well from working together.
“The first thoughts were shock and just concern for him,” said Keating.
Keating said the congressional baseball game is a way to bring both parties together to raise money for charity. Fellow congressman Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) also shared a tweet saying the game will be played on Thursday.
“We will stand together, Democrats and Republicans, against hatred and violence,” tweeted Moulton.
In a statement, Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.) said the country is united “by an unsettling feeling that this has gone too far” and said something has to be done.
“The responsibility for today’s vicious attack lays squarely at the feet of the gunman,” said Kennedy. “But the responsibility for where we go from here lies in the hands of a nation that must show more than unity of reaction, but unity of response.”
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