The Capitol Police weren’t the only heroes Wednesday as a gunman opened fire at a congressional baseball practice. It was supposed to be the last practice before Republicans and Democrats face off Thursday for their friendly annual competition. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) was shot in the hip by the assailant and is currently undergoing surgery, while a few of his staffers and a policeman were also hit.
Scalise’s colleagues should be commended for how they responded, rushing to aid their friend as soon as they were able.
Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL), who was up to bat at the time of the shooting, told the media he witnessed a bloodied Scalise crawl into the outfield. While he and his colleagues wanted to help Scalise sooner, they simply could not run into the field as bullets were still flying.
“No one could get to him before the gunman was taken down,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) concurred on Morning Joe.
As soon as police subdued the attacker, however, Brooks and several of his colleagues sprung to action, running over to Scalise and immediately applying pressure on his wound.
"We used my belt to help put a tourniquet around his leg," Brooks explained.
Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), who was also assisting with the wound, explained on Fox News that he found Scalise’s phone and called his wife, not wanting her to find out the news by another means.
Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH), who is a doctor and served as a combat surgeon in Iraq, also proved to be helpful, treating Scalise and telling a CBS reporter that his colleague was “conscious and okay.”
While we pray for Scalise and his staff’s speedy recovery, we can take a moment to admire this display of compassion and courage.