Bernie Sanders revealed today that the alleged shooter, James T. Hodgkinson, "apparently" worked as a volunteer on his campaign. Hodgkinson opened fire on the baseball practice of the congressional baseball team on Wednesday morning, firing off somewhere between 50 to 70 rounds as the congressional team members scattered for cover, reports Fox News live.
Bernie supporter
Hodgkinson was seen in past pictures from his social media pages that were flashed across the TV on morning news shows. He is seen carrying signs and in various political venues and protests that he attended.
His Facebook page depicts Hodgkinson as a Bernie Sanders supporter and he appears as someone who was very critical of Donald Trump.
Sanders condemns his actions
Bernie Sanders condemned the shooting after revealing that the shooter, Hodgkinson, worked on his campaign in a volunteer position. Sanders, who took to the Senate floor on Wednesday to get his message out there, said how he was "sickened by this despicable act."
Talking an adamant stand against violence, Sanders said, "Let me be as clear as I can be: Violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society and I condemn this action in the strongest possible terms. Real change can only come about through nonviolent action, and anything else runs against our most deeply held American values."
Why?
No one knows what sparked Hodgkinson to do such a thing, but the investigation is ongoing as all the information on the shooter is being compiled by several law enforcement agencies to get a better understanding of why he did this.
They are also looking into any groups he might have belonged to, and if there were others involved.
The 66-year-old shooter injured the House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, who is reportedly in "stable condition," according to CNN News. Scalise was shot in the hip and fell to the ground after being hit with a bullet, laying defenseless on the field.
The two other people who were shot in this horrific event were members of the Capitol Police Force. They are said not to have life-threatening injuries. The shooter was shot dead after exchanging fire with Capitol Police. NPR suggests that this shooting event shows the vital importance of this police force.
Heroes
The Capitol Police are a "little-known force" that guard the Capitol area, as well as prominent members of Congress.
If Scalise's detail was not with him at the baseball practice, many more people would have been shot, according to witnesses who were there on the field. Some of the members of Congress who were practicing stepped up to say just that. It was Scalise's detail of Capitol Police that saved a lot of lives. President Trump also recognized their heroics today in a statement.
