FBI: Gunman Who Attacked Republican Lawmakers Acted Alone

The gunman who shot and wounded Congressman Steve Scalise in an attack on Republican lawmakers last week acted alone and did not post any online threats to members of Congress, FBI officials said Wednesday.

The gunman, James Hodgkinson, 66, of Belleville, Illinois, was shot dead by Capitol Police officers last week after opening fire on lawmakers practicing for an annual Congressional baseball game in Alexandria, Virginia. Four other people were wounded in the incident.

An FBI statement Wednesday said items found on Hodgkinson, who had been living in his vehicle in Alexandria at the time, included a piece of paper that contained the names of six members of Congress. Officials did not disclose the names.

“No context was included on this paper. However, a review of the shooter’s web searches on the months prior to the shootings revealed only a cursory of two – a cursory search that is – of two of those members,” the statement said.

Investigators also found a laptop, a cell phone and a digital camera in Hodgkinson’s vehicle. “Analysis of the electronic media items recovered from Hodgkinson’s belongings assessed that Hodgkinson did not place any online posts of threats or references to members of Congress or the Congressional baseball game, the FBI said.

Officials noted that the gunman posted numerous items on social media accounts “espousing anti-Republican views, although all of the posts reviewed thus far appear to be First Amendment-protected speech.”

Scalise was the most seriously injured of the four people Hodgkinson shot last Wednesday morning. His physicians have indicated extensive hospital treatment will be necessary, followed by a period of rehabilitation.
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