Man who shot congressman was living in van, called a loner
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The gunman who wounded a top Republican congressman and several others during an early morning baseball practice had apparently been living out of a white cargo van for months and was frequently seen working on a computer at a nearby YMCA, where he kept mostly to himself.
James T. Hodgkinson shot House Rep. Steve Scalise on Wednesday before he was fatally shot by police who had been guarding the House majority whip on the Alexandria, Virginia, baseball field, officials said.
Authorities believe the 66-year-old had been living out of a van in northern Virginia since March after leaving his southern Illinois home. The man expressed grievances online about President Donald Trump and Republicans, but authorities said they’re still working to determine a motive.
Hodgkinson was spotted regularly over the past several weeks at the YMCA next to the site of the shooting, sitting with a computer in the lobby or at a table in an exercise area that looked out onto the baseball field.