Rep. Steve Scalise in fair condition after baseball field shooting, hospital says
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Version 0 of 1. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), the House majority whip, was in fair condition Friday, a hospital official announced, more than a week after a shooting at a congressional baseball team practice left the congressman and several others injured. Scalise, who had been in critical condition after the June 14 shooting, was transferred out of the intensive care unit at MedStar Washington Hospital Center on Thursday, a spokeswoman said. A hospital news release said Scalise “continues an extended period of healing and rehabilitation.” [Why a single gunshot to Steve Scalise’s hip can be a life-threatening injury] Five people, including Scalise, were taken to hospitals after the early morning shooting in Virginia. The gunman, whom authorities identified as 66-year-old James T. Hodgkinson, shot 60 rounds at the GOP team before he was fatally shot. Matt Mika, a lobbyist for Tyson Foods, was also shot and critically wounded. He later was upgraded to good condition at George Washington Hospital. He was released Friday, his family members said. “We are truly grateful for the compassionate, world-class care provided by the doctors, nurses and team at George Washington, and we will never forget and continue to be grateful for the heroism shown by the U.S. Capitol Police,” the family statement said. “We truly appreciate the prayers, words of encouragement and support from Matt’s friends, family and people across the nation and the world.” Calling Mika’s hospital discharge “a welcome and important step,” the family asked that its privacy be respected as his recovery continues. It said the family had no plans to do interviews or provide additional updates.. Zach Barth, a legislative correspondent for Rep. Roger Williams (R-Tex.), was shot in the leg and released from the hospital the same day of the shooting. And two Capitol Police officers assigned to Scalise’s security detail were also wounded. One was treated and released from the hospital, while the other was in good condition, officials had said after the shooting. [Rep. Steve Scalise and the long, awful history of gunned-down lawmakers] Authorities later said that Hodgkinson had kept a storage locker filled with more than 200 rounds of ammunition at the YMCA near the baseball field. The Alexandria city park and fields around the baseball field reopened this weekend. Martin Weil and Clarence Williams contributed to this report. |