Scalise in critical condition following surgery

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., is in critical condition at a Washington hospital after undergoing surgery for a gunshot wound to the hip. Initial reports described Scalise’s injuries as not life-threatening, but the hospital later changed his condition from stable to critical. Shooter James T. Hodgkinson, 66, wounded three others during the Wednesday morning attack on a group of Republican lawmakers practicing baseball in Alexandria, Va. During a late afternoon news conference, an FBI spokesman said investigators are still trying to uncover a motive, but Hodgkinson has a long history of anti-Republican invective. He was a member of a Facebook group called “Terminate the Republican Party” and wrote frequent letters to his local newspaper about income inequality, blaming conservatives for the problem. Hodgkinson lived in Bellville, Ill., where he worked as a home inspector. But investigators believe he traveled to Arlington in March and was living out of his car. Police are searching his home, car, and electronic devices for clues about his motives and acquaintances. Hodgkinson died at a local hospital after suffering multiple gunshot wounds during a firefight with members of Scalise’s security detail.

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