Witnesses described seeing a gunman with a rifle open fire from near the third-base dugout at Eugene Simpson park in Alexandria. Dozens of shots pierced the early-morning calm, as lawmakers and staffers took batting and fielding practice and residents of the Washington suburb walked their dogs in the muggy heat.
Police immediately opened fire on the gunman, police and witnesses said.
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Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.), who was in the batting cage at the time of the shootings, said he heard a single shot followed rapidly by a string of about 10 shots.
Mr. Paul said the alleged gunman continued to reload. “I probably heard 50, 60 shots,” he said. There was no way to get to the people in the field, he said on MSNBC.
He added, “Everybody probably would have died except for the fact that the Capitol Police was there,” which was only due to Mr. Scalise’s presence.