Two Republican members of Congress say a man they now believe to be the Alexandria gunman spoke to them before the shooring started, asking if the ballplayers on the field were Democrats or Republicans.
Florida Rep. Ron DeSantis said he had an "odd" encounter with a man who might have been the gunman who opened fire on Republican lawmakers during baseball practice at an Alexandria, Virginia, baseball field Wednesday.
DeSantis left a few minutes before the shooting, but told Fox News thatthe man walked up to him and colleague Jeff Duncan, R-SC., and asked if Republicans or Democrats were out on the field. He wasn’t carrying anything, DeSantis said.
“The encounter I had in the parking lot was very, very strange,” DeSantis told Fox News, although it is unclear whether the person was the assailant.
"There was a guy who walked up to us asking if it was Republicans or Democrats out there. And it was just a little odd. And then he kinda walked toward the area where all this happened," DeSantis told Fox News.
Duncan's story was similar to DeSantis', according to RealClearNews.com reporter Rebecca Berg.
Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, was shot in the hip and underwent surgery, but was otherwise listed in stable condition.
Two members of Scalise's security detail from the Capitol Hill police were also wounded in the shooting as was a congressional aide.