On June 14, 2017, a mass shooting occurred during a practice session for the annual Congressional Baseball Game in Alexandria, Virginia.

66-year-old James Hodgkinson shot four people, including then U.S. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, U.S. Capitol Police officer Crystal Griner, congressional aide Zack Barth, and lobbyist Matt Mika.

[10] Hodgkinson was a left-wing activist with a record of domestic violence from Belleville, Illinois,[11][12] while Scalise was a Republican Party member of Congress.

[15][16] The shooting took place on June 14, 2017, at Eugene Simpson Stadium Park in Alexandria, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.

There were 24 Republican congressmen who had gathered at the park to practice for the next day's Congressional Baseball Game for Charity, an annual, bipartisan event first held in 1909.

Among those at the practice, aside from Scalise, were Senators Rand Paul and Jeff Flake, and Representatives Roger Williams (the team's coach), Chuck Fleischmann, Trent Kelly, Mo Brooks, Brad Wenstrup, Rodney Davis, Jeff Duncan, Jack Bergman, Mike Bishop and Joe Barton (the team's manager).

[27] When Hodgkinson opened fire, two of the officers, David Bailey and Crystal Griner, rushed onto the field to protect the congressmen and the other civilians.

[5][32][33] Scalise was shot in the hip and was evacuated by a U.S. Park Police helicopter to MedStar Washington Hospital Center, where he underwent surgery.

The hospital reported that after the bullet struck his hip, it traveled across his pelvis—fracturing bones, injuring internal organs, and causing severe bleeding.

[38] Matt Mika, a Tyson Foods lobbyist, was shot multiple times in the chest and arm, injuring his lungs, sternum, and ribs.

[39] Paramedics from the Alexandria Fire Department labeled Mika as the most severely wounded, a red case, and he was taken to the George Washington University Hospital via ambulance where he underwent surgery for his injuries.

[48] Representative Williams, a former Minor League Baseball player and coach of the Republican team, sprained his ankle while jumping into a dugout during the attack to avoid being shot.

[52] Police identified the shooter as James Thomas Hodgkinson (December 12, 1950 – June 14, 2017), 66 years old, whose last permanent residence was in Belleville, Illinois, where he lived for the entirety of his life, despite having been born in neighboring East St.

[54] The sheriff of St. Clair County, Illinois, said that deputies had been called to Hodgkinson's house about half a dozen times in the past 20 years.

[56] In 2006, Hodgkinson was accused of beating his foster daughter and charged with domestic battery, but the case was dismissed when the alleged victim decided not to testify.

[53] On June 16, USA Today reported, citing an anonymous source, that the FBI found a list of names, including those of Republican Congressmen Mo Brooks, Jeff Duncan and Trent Franks, in Hodgkinson's pocket.

[65] On June 21, FBI agent Timothy Slater said the names of six congressmen were written on a piece of paper found in an Alexandria storage locker rented to Hodgkinson.

[66][67] The attack drew a bipartisan response as many politicians immediately sent out notes expressing their anger over the shooting, recovery wishes for the injured and gratitude for the police.

[72] Former Representative Gabby Giffords (D–AZ), who survived the 2011 Tucson shooting, sent a tweet that read "My heart is with my former colleagues, their families and staff, and the US Capitol Police—public servants and heroes today and every day.

Some liberals, such as Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe,[74] called for stricter gun control laws, while some Republicans, such as Chris Collins, blamed anti-Trump rhetoric.

[75] Other activists blamed growing national political polarization, as reported by the Pew Research Center,[76] for causing the shooting.