Congress seeks normalcy, heads back to work after shooting

The security details have since greatly expanded much farther than that after the fatal shooting of two Capitol officers.

To update us on the latest developments, we're joined now by Jessica Taylor, lead digital political reporter for NPR, who has been on the scene all morning.

It started with a single pop, which for a split second was not alarming to the Republican members of Congress who had gathered for a final practice before a charity baseball game with Democrats this week.

The 911 call went out at 7:09 a.m. Homeowners stroll the sidewalks, walking their dogs.

Katie Filous was walking her two dogs near the field when she heard "a lot of shots, probably more than 20". "The only weapon I had was a baseball bat". But Ryan spoke to a shared identity and sense of goal that, when we hear our better angels, crosses party lines.

The security contingent was there because of who was practicing this morning: House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, who was working with his fellow Republicans to sharpen their batting and fielding. "He will recover from this assault", Trump said.

How terrible, but we're just grateful he's alive. And it was clear that there was a gunman.

Williams said he "literally dove" into the seven-foot-deep dugout next to the field.

Congressman Rodney Davis told CNN he was at bat at the time, and Scalise was in the field at second base. "About a year ago I got interested in Charlie Hebdo, I've been promoting these changes around here, some changes to our entrances".

Scalise has continued to play on the team, while his colleague U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond became a star of the Democratic team when he joined Scalise, also a former Louisiana legislator, in Congress.

"I got a look at the gunman behind the backstop, and he had a line of sight into our dugout". Mika was reportedly suffered the worst of the injuries after being shot in the chest.

Hodgkinson has been in the area since March, living out of his van, said Washington FBI Special Agent In Charge Tim Slater. DeSantis said he was in a parking lot on the first base side when he encountered the gunman. He added that Scalise was bleeding "quite a bit".

U.S. President Donald Trump said in a statement that he was "deeply saddened by this tragedy". Wednesday's shooting highlights the vulnerability of lawmakers when they are in public.

When the gunfire stopped, he hurried onto the field and used his hands to cover a bullet wound to the left hip of House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, a Republican from Louisiana.

Photographer Marty LaVor was a witness to the shooting.

"I don't think about it every day". Really, then, you know, some people react to things like that. There was a clip with at least eight shots.

'It is something I will not forget, it seemed like it went forever.

As a state lawmaker, Scalise built relationships with people of diverse views, even as he maintained a rock-solid conservative voting record. Telling the story later, his trousers were still scuffed and muddy and his elbows were scratched and bandaged.

"The heroes are the police officers who attacked the shooter, and in doing so quite probably saved many, many lives", the congressman said.

"Dozens if not hundreds of shots fired, it was scary", Rep. Barton said.

After Scalise was hit, said Rep. Mo Brooks, an Alabama Republican, the congressman "crawled into the outfield, leaving a trail of blood".

"An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us", Mr Ryan said, to prolonged applause.

"This gentleman felt he wasn't going to live long because of a vote I took and now it was my turn to die as well", Barletta said.

When the Washington Post quoted an acquaintance as saying the shooter had volunteered for Bernie Sanders, and it turned out he loved Rachel Maddow, I knew the guilt-by-association efforts would intensify.

"Gratefully, they were there", Flake said of the officers. "That's not America. So, it's one of the risks you take on". "That's not a fair fight".

BENNETT: Local law enforcement was fast on the scene, says Alexandria Police Department Chief Michael Brown. All we would have had would have been baseball bats versus a rifle.

"We were all shocked and saddened by the murders at Sandy Hook".

This morning, Arizona woke to the breaking news that a gunman opened fire on congressional Republicans practicing for a charity softball game.