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Lawmaker on Virginia shooting: colleagues were 'screaming for reinforcements' Lawmaker on Virginia shooting: colleagues were 'screaming for reinforcements'
(35 minutes later)
The Alabama congressman Mo Brooks gave a witness account to CNN about the shooting in Alexandria, Virginia, on Wednesday morning: I was on deck about to hit batting practice on the third base side of home plate and I heard a loud “bam”, and I look around and behind third base and the third base dugout, which is cinderblock, I see a rifle. And I see a little bit of a body and I then hear another “blam” and I realize that there’s an active shooter. The Alabama congressman Mo Brooks gave a witness account to CNN about the shooting in Alexandria, Virginia, on Wednesday morning
At the same time, I heard Steve Scalise over near second base scream, he was shot, he’s our majority whip. The gun was a semi-automatic. It continues to fire at different people. You can imagine all the people on the field scatter. I run around to the first base side of home plate. We have a batting cage that’s got plastic wrapped around it to stop foul balls, and hide behind the plastic. You know the plastic’s not real good. And I was lying on the ground with two or three others as gunfire continues. I was on deck, about to hit batting practice on the third-base side of home plate, and I heard a loud “bam”, and I look around and behind third base and the third base dugout, which is cinderblock, I see a rifle. And I see a little bit of a body and I then hear another “blam” and I realize that there’s an active shooter.
Heard a break in the gunfire and decided to take a chance, ran from home plate to the first base dugout, which is also cinderblock and down about two or three feet so you can have better cover. There were a number of congressmen and congressional staffers who help us lying on the ground. One of them was wounded in the leg. Took off my belt and myself and another congressman, I don’t remember who, applied a tourniquet to try to slow down the bleeding. At the same time, I heard Steve Scalise, over near second base, scream. He was shot. He’s our majority whip. The gun was a semi-automatic. It continues to fire at different people. You can imagine all the people on the field scatter. I run around to the first-base side of home plate. We have a batting cage that’s got plastic wrapped around it to stop foul balls, and hide behind the plastic. You know the plastic’s not real good. And I was lying on the ground with two or three others as gunfire continues.
In the meantime, I’m towards the right field side of the dugout and there’s gunfire within about five, six, seven feet of my head and I look up and there’s a guy with a gun blasting away. Fortunately, it was one of the good guys, one of our security detail, who was shooting back. Of course it was pistol versus rifle, our pistols versus the shooter’s rifle on the third base line just outside the chain-link fence, and he was warning us to stay down. Heard a break in the gunfire and decided to take a chance, ran from home plate to the first-base dugout, which is also cinderblock, and down about two or three feet so you can have better cover. There were a number of congressmen, and congressional staffers who help us, lying on the ground. One of them was wounded in the leg. Took off my belt and myself and another congressman, I don’t remember who, applied a tourniquet to try to slow the bleeding.
Another security detail person was closer to home plate, probably, I couldn’t see him but probably on the home plate side of the dugout, outside the fence line using the dugout as cover as he’s firing back. And there must have been 50 to 100 shots fired. Hard to, uh, itemize them. In the meantime, I’m towards the right-field side of the dugout and there’s gunfire within about five, six, seven feet of my head, and I look up and there’s a guy with a gun blasting away. Fortunately, it was one of the good guys, one of our security detail, who was shooting back. Of course it was pistol versus rifle, our pistols versus the shooter’s rifle on the third-base line just outside the chain-link fence, and he was warning us to stay down.
Eventually it seems that the shooter shot both of our security detail people. There were some congressmen on phones screaming for reinforcements. Seemed like a long time and we weren’t even hearing sirens from local police officers, which tells me they probably did not yet know what was going on. Another security detail person was closer to home plate – probably, I couldn’t see him, but probably on the home-plate side of the dugout, outside the fence line, using the dugout as cover as he’s firing back. And there must have been 50 to 100 shots fired. Hard to itemize them.
Eventually the shooter starts circling around third base. This is my understanding. Of course I’m down on the ground helping a guy who’s got a bullet hole in his leg. And the shooter starts coming around home plate towards – we are outside the fence line and my understanding is that’s where our security detail, maybe some of the ones who were wounded, still defending us, took him down. Eventually it seems that the shooter shot both of our security detail people. There were some congressmen on phones screaming for reinforcements. Seemed like a long time, and we weren’t even hearing sirens from local police officers, which tells me they probably did not yet know what was going on.
At which point, once we got the all clear that the shooter was down, we ran out to second base for Steve Scalise. He had crawled into the outfield, leaving a trail of blood. We started giving him some liquids. I put pressure on the wound in his hip. And Brad Wenstrup, congressman from Ohio, Cincinnati, fortunately, is a physician, he started doing what you need to do to minimize the blood loss ... Eventually, the shooter starts circling around third base. This is my understanding. Of course, I’m down on the ground helping a guy who’s got a bullet hole in his leg. And the shooter starts coming around home plate towards … we are outside the fence line, and my understanding is that’s where our security detail, maybe some of the ones who were wounded, still defending us, took him down.
Shortly thereafter, more the police showed up. Again, it seemed like for ever but it was probably shorter that what it seemed. A helicopter landed in center field and took away whomever folks decided was the most wounded, most critical. I don’t know who that person was. At that time, the police were causing all of us to gather outside the first base line and the chain-link fence and cordoning off the area to help ensure if there was a second shooter we would be better protected. At which point, once we got the all clear that the shooter was down, we ran out to second base for Steve Scalise. He had crawled into the outfield, leaving a trail of blood. We started giving him some liquids. I put pressure on the wound in his hip. And Brad Wenstrup, a congressman from Ohio, Cincinnati, fortunately, is a physician, he started doing what you need to do to minimize the blood loss …
Shortly thereafter, more the police showed up. Again, it seemed like forever, but it was probably shorter than it seemed. A helicopter landed in center field and took away whomever folks decided was the most wounded, most critical. I don’t know who that person was. At that time, the police were causing all of us to gather outside the first base line and the chain-link fence and cordoning off the area to help ensure if there was a second shooter we would be better protected.