News

Actions

3 Michigan congressmen at baseball field during shooting

Posted at 10:28 AM, Jun 14, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-14 16:51:10-04

DETROIT (AP) — Three Republican members of Michigan's congressional delegation were among lawmakers who were practicing baseball when a gunman opened fire at the field in suburban Washington.

U.S. Rep. Mike Bishop gave an eyewitness account Wednesday to Detroit radio station WWJ. He says many more people would have been shot if security staff hadn't returned fire.

Bishop says he was at home plate when the gunman approached with a rifle. U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, a number of aides and Capitol Police officers were shot. Bishop says Scalise was a "sitting duck" on second base.

Bishop says fellow Michigan Republicans John Moolenaar and Jack Bergman were at the field. They weren't hurt.

Bergman, in an interview with FOX News, recalled how his military background instinctively kicked in as he heard shots ring out.

"Everybody started to scramble and we could tell, at least I could tell from my perspective, that it was somewhere behind the third-base dugout," Bergman said. "I kicked in to my marine mode, went into a low crawl, along with a couple of others, not knowing in which direction the shooter was moving."

The retired U.S. Marine Corps. lieutenant, like many others, praised the reaction by Capitol Police who were only there because of Rep. Scalise's position as Majority Whip.

“They engaged him right behind the back stop and they were the true heroes today because had they not been there, this truly could have been a massacre," he said.

FOX 17 contributed to this report.