It was a humid Wednesday morning in Alexandria. June 14, 2017. Most of D.C. was still waking up, but at Eugene Simpson Stadium Memorial Park, the dirt was already flying. This is a 115-year-old tradition we're talking about. Republican lawmakers were out there in mismatched jerseys, taking batting practice for the annual charity game. Then, the cracks of a SKS rifle changed everything.
When people talk about the shooting congressional baseball game practice, they often focus on the politics. Honestly, though? The real story is about the frantic three minutes where the line between a routine morning and a national tragedy basically evaporated. It wasn't just a news headline; it was a chaotic scramble for survival in a suburban dugout.
The Morning of the Attack
The Republicans were practicing. Senator Jeff Flake was there. Representative Brad Wenstrup—a podiatrist and Iraq War veteran—was there too. That turned out to be a miracle. Around 7:09 AM, James Hodgkinson opened fire from behind a third-base dugout fence. He wasn't just some guy wandering by. He’d been living out of his van, stewing in political resentment.
He had a 7.62mm caliber rifle and a 9mm handgun.
Imagine the sound. At first, some thought it was a backfire. Or maybe a transformer blowing. Then the screams started. Steve Scalise, the House Majority Whip, was standing on second base. He took a bullet to the hip and collapsed, dragging himself across the dirt into the outfield, leaving a trail of blood behind him. It’s a grisly image, but that’s the reality of what happened on that infield.
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The Role of the Capitol Police
We don't talk enough about Crystal Griner and David Bailey. Because Scalise was a member of House leadership, he had a security detail. If he hadn't been there, there’s a very real chance nobody else on that field would have survived.
Griner and Bailey were the only ones armed. They engaged the shooter immediately. It was a complete mismatch—handguns against a rifle at distance—but they didn't back down. Griner was shot in the leg. Bailey was injured too. Despite their wounds, they kept the shooter pinned down long enough for Alexandria local police to arrive and neutralize the threat.
The shooter died later at the hospital.
The Injuries and the Aftermath
Scalise was the most critically hit. The bullet did a lot of internal damage, shattering bone and tearing through organs. He underwent multiple surgeries at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. For a few days there, it was touch and go. He was in critical condition, and the country was on edge.
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- Zachary Barth: A legislative aide who was shot in the leg but managed to run for cover.
- Matt Mika: A lobbyist for Tyson Foods who acted as a coach. He was shot multiple times in the chest and arm. His recovery was nothing short of a miracle.
- The Officers: Both Griner and Bailey required hospitalization but eventually recovered.
Why This Event Still Resonates
The shooting congressional baseball game site didn't just become a crime scene; it became a symbol of how fractured things had become. But for a brief moment, the rhetoric stopped. The next day, the game actually went on at Nationals Park. A record-breaking crowd of nearly 25,000 people showed up. They raised over $1.5 million for charity.
The Democrats and Republicans stood together. They prayed. They wore LSU hats in honor of Scalise.
But let’s be real—the "unity" didn't last forever. That’s the nuance of D.C. The event led to massive debates about member security. It changed how the Capitol Police operate. Before 2017, rank-and-file members didn't have much in the way of personal protection outside the Capitol complex. Now? The budget for member security has ballooned because the threat is perceived as constant.
Misconceptions About the Investigation
You’ll hear a lot of conspiracies online. Let's stick to the FBI findings. The FBI eventually classified the shooting as "domestic terrorism" with a "political" motivation. Initially, there was some pushback because it was labeled "suicide by cop," which furious lawmakers (rightly) pointed out ignored the fact that the guy had a hit list in his pocket.
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The shooter had names of conservative lawmakers written down. This wasn't a random act of violence. It was targeted.
Lessons for Security and Safety
If you ever find yourself in a situation involving an active shooter—whether it's a park or an office—the "Run, Hide, Fight" protocol is what the experts at the FBI and DHS preach. At the baseball field, people used the dugouts. They used the cars in the parking lot.
Representative Brad Wenstrup’s presence was a turning point. He used his combat medic training to apply a tourniquet to Scalise while the scene was still "warm." That’s a huge takeaway: basic medical training saves lives when the paramedics are still minutes away.
Actionable Steps for Personal and Community Safety
- Learn Basic Trauma Care: You don't need to be a doctor. Take a "Stop the Bleed" course. Knowing how to apply a tourniquet or pack a wound is more important than almost any other civic skill in an emergency.
- Understand Situational Awareness: This isn't about being paranoid. It's about knowing where the exits are. On that morning, the players who survived were the ones who moved toward cover the fastest.
- Support Local First Responders: The Alexandria Police Department arrived within minutes of the 911 calls. Their coordination with the Capitol Police security detail is now studied as a textbook example of multi-agency response.
- Monitor Official Reports: For the most accurate history of the event, refer to the U.S. Capitol Police archives and the FBI's Domestic Terrorism reports rather than social media threads which often omit the roles of the specific officers involved.
The 2017 game was a dark day, but the way the community responded at the park—and the way the medical teams at MedStar worked—remains the gold standard for crisis management. Scalise eventually returned to Congress, walking with a cane, a living reminder of a morning that could have been much, much worse.