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Social Media Politicizes Scalise Shooting

The scene of a shooting where House Majority Whip Steve Scalise was shot at a congressional baseball practice / AP
June 14, 2017

A gunman opened fire on Republican lawmakers on Wednesday morning, wounding several people including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R., La.).

Scalise was shot in the hip and is in stable condition, according to his office. Two Capitol police officers were shot in addition to a staff member from Rep. Roger Williams' (R., Tex.) office. The gunman was shot and taken into custody, according to law enforcement officials.

The shooting occurred at a baseball field in Alexandria, Virginia's Del Ray neighborhood. The lawmakers were practicing for their annual bi-partisan congressional baseball game, which raises money for a local Washington, D.C. charity.

News of the shooting spread on social media, and some were quick to politicize the shooting.

The senior editor of the Atlantic sent out factually incorrect tweets about Virginia's gun laws.

He followed up with another tweet a few minutes later.

Fusion anchor Jorge Ramos asked how many shootings have to occur until something is done about it.

Others on social media shared their thoughts about the shooting.

https://twitter.com/BigMeanInternet/status/874972869150859265

https://twitter.com/BigMeanInternet/status/874978016841134081

https://twitter.com/tariqnasheed/status/874963270645329920

https://twitter.com/Montel_Williams/status/874962301790691329

Donald Trump, Jr. also weighed in on Twitter. He highlighted a tweet that connected Wednesday's shooting to a play that depicted the assassination of his father, President Donald Trump.