news, weather, and traffic on the nbc10 app. good morning. breaking news, a massive fire engulfs a london apartment building overnight. panicked residents trapped inside. some using bedsheets to escape. at least six people have died. more than 50 others injured. the building still smoldering this morning. and there's fears it could collapse. we'll be there, live. breaking nov ining overnigh warmbi warmbier, held in a prison, returns to the u.s. the 22-year-old in a coma, rushed to a hospital. what happened to him? and why the north korean government decide to release him? not mincing words. attorney general jeff sessions feisty and defensive during a tense hearing on capitol hill. >> what are they?

>> that -- why don't you tell me? >> strongly denying any collusion between the trump campaign and russia during the election. >> it is an appalling and detestable lie. >> but why did he refuse to talk about his private conversations with the president? all that, plus another ugly incident for the airlines. bill cosby's tv daughter speaking out in an exclusive live interview. and a father's day promotion strikes out big-time. today, wednesday, june 14th, 2017. >> from nbc news, this is "today," with matt lauer and savannah guthrie. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. good morning, everybody. welcome to "today." it's a wednesday morning. so glad to have you with us. craig's in for matt this morning. it's a busy morning. >> a lot going on in your world. we start with the breaking news in london.

wire r fire ripping through a high-rise apartment building while people slept. >> the images are horrifying. some had to jump to safety. others waving towels and flashlights, trying to signal for help. this is a live shot of the building. smoke is pouring out. firefighters in there, battling the hot spots. let's go live with bill neely. good morning. what's the latest? >> reporter: good morning, savannah. the tower block is burning behind me. 24 stories high. firefighter going floor-to-floor. six dead at this time. but police say that number will rise. nightmare in the dark. a london tower block consumed by fire. hundreds trapped inside. fire fighters battling for hours to get them out. trapped residents waving from

windows. >> people flashing their lights. >> reporter: one woman dropped a baby from the ninth floor. >> the baby dropped in a straight line. and a guy just went forward and the baby fell into his arms. >> reporter: survivors told me, they could hear people screaming for help. >> you know they're there. but the fire just went and just took them. >> reporter: there's 200 apartments in the block, up to 1,000 residents. there's many people dead. how many is not known. >> at this time, i am sad to confirm that there have been a number of fatalities thies thif. >> reporter: dozens have been taken to hospitals. this man's hospital was inside. >> my mom screamed that the house was on fire. >> reporter: luckily, she made it out. nearly nine hours on in this

24-story tower is still blazing. there's fears that the block could collapse. the cause of the fire is not known. but residents say they have been warning of fire safety for years. the renovation was $11 million. people say there was no central fire alarm this morning. >> there was no fire alarm. we don't have an integrated fire alarm system. >> reporter: serious questions for authorities after a catastrophic fire that's still being fought. this smoke can be seen across the capital, london. although the police say the official cause isn't known, we have heard from several residents that one man reported his refrigerator had caught fire and the flames had spread very quickly, indeed. and very bad news expected later in the day, as police say the number of fatalities will rise. savannah? craig? >> a heartbreaking scene. we want to turn to one of the residents we heard from

briefly in bill's piece. masrab was on the 17th floor of that building. he escaped with his girlfriend and his aunt. so good to see you. i'm glad your family is okay. can you tell us what happened last night? >> we were up watching a movie. and we heard the sirens of the fire trucks. there was no alarm in the building. there's no alarm system. we looked outside. i checked the lifts to see if there was activity. seemed quiet. but i could smell the smoke. we went inside. i looked out the window. and i could see the flames coming out from underneath. really rapidly. we tried to get out of there. i woke up by auntie. with the help of my girlfriend, we moved fast so we could move slow down the stairs.

and i tried to warn my neighbor. him and his wife. they were behind us by a couple of minutes. we were able to move with some order. right behind us, chaos broke out. i feel like we were minutes away from real disaster. my auntie's an elderly lady. masra, did everything you know in the building get out? >> i don't know. i don't know everybody in the building by name. but we know each other by face. we see each other every day. people are really nice. a lot of families, a lot of children. we've all come together. there's a lot of people i haven't seen. i don't want to think the worst. but it's worrying. >> what do you see through the night and this morning? you were one of the lucky ones and smart to get out of that

building so fast. it sounds like so many people were trapped on the higher floors. >> yeah. when we got outside, the initial fire i saw underneath me, by the time we got down, 10 to 12 minutes, had risen the length of the building. the building caught fire like a candle. we were outside. we were looking up. we could see people inside waving at us. we were telling them to come down, but they were waving back, which makes me feel like maybe they couldn't. there was smoke when we were going down the stairwell. i think maybe the smoke got worse and people were stacared take the risk of suffocation. really roaring stuff. >> thank you for spending time with us this morning and telling us your story. our hearts go out to you and everyone you shared that building with. >> thank you.

also breaking overnight, otto warmbier is back on u.s. soil. carried off the plane in a coma. gabe gutierrez is at the hospital in cincinnati where he is being treated. gabe, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. warmbier is being treated here at the cincinnati medical center. and no details are being released about his exact condition. parents say he has been in a coma after imprisonment. a bizarre turn of events for an american college student, caught up in a nightmare. otto warmbier, carried off of this plane in a coma. reunited with his family and taken to the hospital. a stunning homecoming after 17 months in imprisonment in north korea. >> the department of state has secured the release of otto warmbier. a question about how he ended up

gravely ill. they say warmbier contracted botulism and fell into that coma of taking a sleeping pill. his family says, we want the world to know how we and our son have been terrorized by the regime. >> i made the worst mistake of my life. >> reporter: the university of virginia student had been on a tour of the reclusive country, when in january of 2016, he was detained for stealing a propaganda poster from his hotel and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor. since then, the u.s. worked with swedish officials to secure his release. but not until this month, did they learn of his medical condition. ribbons of support. the surprise announcement coming on the same day that former nba star dennis rodman touched down in north korea for his fifth visit. >> hoping doors.

>> reporter: but the state department said rodman had nothing to do with the release. it came amid rising tensions with the secretive regime and kim jong-un. >> north korea's rhetoric and actions continue, despite united nations censure and sanctions. >> reporter: the hospital has not released any details abltd h about his condition. but warmbier's family expects to speak at a news conference tomorrow. >> gabe, thank you. let's turn to bill richardson, who has worked to secure otto warmbier's release for more than a year. as i mentioned, you were working on this for more than a year. apparently otto warmbier has been in a coma for a bulk of the time. were you shocked to learn that? >> i was absolutely shocked. my foundation has been meeting in the last year, at least 20

times with the north koreans in new york, to secure the release of otto, find his conditions. make sure the swedish government, which represents us in north korea, have access to him for a lot of medical reasons. they never said anything about his condition. i think their actions are unconscionable. i think their excuse of botulism and taking a sleeping pill is spurious. i think it's wrong. i think there's a cover-up going on. we spoke to the family. they called our foundation spokesman yesterday morning. gave us a heads-up of what was happening. this is a wonderful family. this is a fine, young man. but he's in a coma. and the question is, why didn't the north koreans disclose this, under international norms from the united states to the swedish government. why has he been in a coma for 17

months, not just notifying his parents, the international community and the united states? this is very, very serious. >> i can't believe i'm asking this question. but dennis rodman arrives there yesterday, the same day of mr. warmbier's release. and the state department insists there's no correlation between the two. do you buy that? >> well, yes. i think dennis rodman has been there before. i don't think his visits have been productive. he's the only game in town. they may have been telling him something about otto's condition. but he's the only american that's ever spoken to kim jong-un. so, what we have is a situation that's totally uncertain. but i think the focus has to be not just on otto warmbier, but

there's three other americans and a canadian that are detained. the north koreans, as aagoodwil, humanitarian gesture, should let them go. >> thank you. please give our regards to the family. they've been through a lot. much more to get to today, including fallout from jeff sessions' capitol hill testimony. he strongly denied any contacts with russians about the presidential election. while president trump says sessions did a, quote, very good job, some law imakers say he didn't answer enough. peter alexander is at the white house. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you. some democrats say jeff sessions was bobbing and weaving. the president is praising sessions' performance. this was a dramatic day of testimony, highlighting deep divisions. the top prosecutor often

indignant. promising he never crossed a line with russia. but less worth coforthcoming ab conversations with the president. defending himself on coordinations with russia. >> the suggestion that i participated in any collusion, that i was aware of any collusion with the russian government to hurt this country, is an appalling and detestable lie. >> reporter: and on the prompters of his recusers from the russian probe. >> i did not recuse myself from defending my honor and scurrilous accusations. >> reporter: often contentious. >> i am not stonewalling. >> reporter: including this testimony from ousted fbi director james comey. suggesting there were problemmatic reasons for sessions' recusal. >> what are they? why don't you tell me?

there are none. there are none. i can tell you that for absolute certainty. you tell -- this is a secret innuendo being leaked out there about me. and i don't appreciate it. >> reporter: sessions contradicting comey's account, that he did little following the request that he no longer be left alone with the president. >> he did not tell me any details about anything that was said that was improper. >> reporter: having acknowledged two undisclosed brief meetings during the campaign with the russian ambassador, sessions denied there was a third at the may flower hotel. but agrees he and kislyak could have crossed paths. >> nothing improper if i had a conversation with him. and it's conceivable. i just can't remember it. >> reporter: democrats pouncing on what sessions wouldn't say. >> you're impeding this investigation. >> reporter: sessions saying it

would be inappropriate to discuss his private conversations with the president. >> i need to be as connect as i can. >> i want you to be honest. >> i'm not able to be rushed this fast. it makes me nervous. >> reporter: also this morning, the white house is knocking down speculation, largely fueled by one of the president's own confida confidants, that he might look to fire robert mueller. aides have been defending against this idea. sarah huckaby sanders saying, while the president has ever right to fire him, he has no intention to do so. craig and alexander? >> peter, thank you. now, to the ugly incident caught on camera at an airport. you can see what appears to be a passenger, being pushed to the ground by an airline employee in houston. tom costello covers aviation for us. good morning. here we go again. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. this occurred back in 2015. nbc affiliate obtained the video

of the airline shoving a 71-year-old man. it was just two months ago that dr. dave dao was roughed up and drugged off a plan by security officers in chicago. this morning, united airlines is back in the headlines for not in a plane, but inside a terminal at bush international airport. it shows a 71-year-old man being pushed to the ground in the ticketing area by a customer service representative. >> he laid there lifeless for several minutes. they left him there like a peegs of garbage. >> reporter: that man is suing united. the lawsuit claims the customer service rep laughed and cursed at him. >> that's when he says

[ bleep ]. and shoves him to the ground. >> reporter: after lying on the floor for nearly a minute, his attorney says he got help from another passenger. but when the united airlinesed say the man was pushed. >> there's a 70-year-old male who had fallen down. >> is he awake right now? >> i don't know. >> do you know the cause of the fall? >> no. >> reporter: we have seen the video from 2015 that shows unacceptable behavior from an employee. the employee is no longer with the customer. this does not show our values or commitment to treat all customers with respect and dignity. another incident at newark airport involving united airlines flight 170 pound for venice italy.

as they were pulling back from the gate, passengers began to notice fuel gushing out of the wing. it almost looked like a fire hose. they notified the crew. the crew called in the personnel to check it. they were dealing with a significant fuel leak. they thanked those passengers were speaking up or saying something when they saw something. that flight was canceled. and all those passengers spent the night at newark, rebooked on flights later today. a close call averted by those passengers who spoke up. >> tom, thank you very much. let's get a first check of the weather now. mr. roker is on the road again. in kentucky this morning. good to see you, al. >> good morning, guys. we're at ft. campbell, kentucky. 101st airborne. we'll be staging our father's day surprise for one deserving dad. we'll get to that. we want to talk about severe

weather that's going to be firing up today. we're looking at strong storms throughout the plains already. it will be pushing to the east as it does. we have strong storms stretching from chicago, cincinnati, oklahoma city. 31 million people at risk. ♪ ♪ ♪ good morning. i'm meteorologist bill henley. we started the day with scattered showers and thunderstorms. that's a possibility this afternoon. most of the day, a combination of clouds and sunshine. partly sunny this afternoon in

the lehigh valley. 84 degrees. up to 82 degrees with just a chance of an afternoon shower in delaware. for philadelphia and the suburbs, normal for this time of year, into the low 80s. cooler temperatures can be found at the shore with partly sunny skies this afternoon. up to 70 degrees. have a great day. >> and that is your latest weather. guys? >> all right, al. thank you. coming up, a desperate rate manhunt under way for two escaped georgia inmates, accused of killing their guards. also ahead, as a jury continues to deliberate bill cosby's face, keshia knight pulliam speak out in an exclusive live interview. first this, is "today" on nbc.

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good morning, i'm vai sikahema. just about 7:30. let's get right to meteorologist bill henley with your most accurate weather forecast. bill? i'm tracking showers and thunderstorms. look at the rain coming down in this view from center city. there are some breaks of sunshine. these showers are popping up this morning. heavy downpours are coming with them. look at the lightning moving through camden county and especially a lot of lightning. 23 strikes in the last few minutes in delaware, newark to the east. seeing heavier rainfall. it's falling at a rate of almost three inches an hour. we'll start with storms most of the day will be dry and cooler this afternoon. vai? >> thank you. let's check the roads with nbc10 first alert traffic reporter jessica boyington. lots of volume out there. yeah, we're watching route 70 in cherry hill township.

here's the cameras from old orchard road. this is zoomed on an accident scene that you see is taking out lanes in both directions. the eastbound and westbound sides, you see flashing lights here. a huge backup behind that. more flashing lights over here, as well. we're watching that, that's just east of the new jersey turnpike area. also watching the schuylkill expressway still around belmont avenue. huge westbound delays now. we're at 32 minutes from the vine street expressway to the blue route. speeds into the 20s, and still watching an earlier accident scene. police activity there to the right-hand shoulder. back to you. >> thank you. police are looking for intruders who shot a pregnant woman during a home invasion in north philadelphia. she is expected to be okay. police say two or three men broke through the front door on front street, north front street, went to the second floor bedroom and shot the woman in the leg after an argument. her boyfriend and two children were inside. they were not hurt. we'll have another update in 25 minutes. see you then. it takes a lot of people to make a good school day. miss hoffman gets us there safe every time.

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♪ 7:30, now, on this wednesday morning, 14th of june, 2017. we like to say around here, that's where the magic happens. >> we like to say that. >> the hardworking crew of the "today" show, just below our studio right here. i'm savannah guthrie, along with craig and hoda. matt is under the weather. >> let's get to the headlines. six people have died in a devastating apartment fire in london. and officials expect that number will rise. it started on a lower floor on a 24-story building. and it quickly spread. 15 people are being treated for injuries this morning. college student otto

warmbier was back in ohio late last night after his sudden release from prison in north korea. now, in a coma, was taken to a cincinnati hospital. was arrested in january last year. and then, sentenced to hard labor, accused of stealing a propaganda trophy. and juries are resuming deliberations after failing to reach a verdict on tuesday. the jury must decide if the comedian is guilty of drugging andrea constand. they looked at key piece of evidence, including excerpts of a deposition from a 2005 civil case. we are going to talk to keshia knight pulliam. she accompanied him on his first day of trial. first, we get back to the apartment fire in london. bill neely is on the scene for us. what's the latest?

>> reporter: the tower block you see behind me is burning. the smoke can be seen across the capital. 24 floors, hundreds of people inside this block at the time. the official cause still not known. i've been hearing heartbreaking stories from people who saw residents streaming from windows. people yelling save my child. one woman says she saw another woman throw her baby from the ninth floor, which, remarkably, was caught, she says, by a neighbor. firefighters still inside, going floor-to-floor. i was talking to one resident, who said this building was a death trap. it was renovated over the last year at a cost of $11 million. but laplastic was put on the outside. and that resident said the fire started on the second floor, made the building go up like a candle. he said there was no central alarm system and no sprinkler

system. and he says one stairwell, which sounds incredible. there's a lot of questions being asked here. the police said, just over an hour ago, that six people are confirmed dead. but that number, they say, is expected to rise. back to you guys. >> an awful story. bill, thank you very much. another major story we're following for you, the nationwide manhunt for two escaped inmates in georgia. authorities say they overpowered then killed two guards on a transport bus before getting away. kerry sanders has the latest on the desperate search for those fugitives. kerry, good morning. >> reporter: it's now been 24 hours since the two inmates made their deadly escape. the two inmates who are believed to be traveling together, could be halfway across the country. 43-year-old donnie rose, serving life behind bars. 24-year-old ricki deboez,

serving a 20-year sentence. on a prison transport was like this. the security camera caught the cold-blood cold-blooded murders of two prison guards. >> two of the prisoners got into the driver's compartment. overpowered the guards, obtained their weapons and shot shots an. >> it was four or five successi. and then, a sound. a scream, a yell, something. then, nothing. dead silent. >> reporter: murdered is a family men and christopher monica. a father of two girls, one still in high school. millageville mayor, gary

thrower, was with his wife after he learned he had been murdered. >> normally, she doesn't get up with him. for some reason, she told him she loved him before she left. she has that memory. >> reporter: the two inmates carjacked this honda civic for their getaway. about 30 miles from the brazen escape, authorities say they broke into a home, ditching their prison uniforms, changing clothes. later spotted in a family dollar store. both inmates armed with nine millimeter pistols. authorities say sum they have nothing to lose. this morning, the loss of life is shameful and brutal. >> i saw two murdered corrections officers. that's what i saw. i have their blood on my shoes. >> reporter: there's now a $70,000 reward for the capture of these two men. federal agents have joined in

searching for the inmates. the sheriff says his fear that the two invimates know what happens and likely believe they have nothing to lose. and so, law enforcement fears they could kill again. guys, back to you. >> kerry sanders for us. let's shift gears now. al is in kentucky. he has a check of the weather. later, he has a big surprise. al, good morning. >> good morning. ft. campbell, kentucky. we're going to surprise a deserve i deserving dad in a minute. it's going to get hot here. let's go to the maps and show you. we are looking out west, that big dome of high pressure, upper-level high. and that's going to make for some very hot conditions through the southwest. we have heat advisories for 20 million people, in california and the southwest. 100 degrees from sacramento to

fresno, through sunday. and that spreads into the southwest, as well, from triple digits, stretching from death valley all the way to tucson. the rest of the country will be cooling off in northeast and new england. strong storms in the northern plains. gulf coast looking atet weathe wr. good morning. i'm meteorologist bill henley. started the day with scattered showers and thunderstorms. that's a possibility this afternoon. most of the day, going to be a combination of clouds and sunshine. partly sunny this afternoon in the lehigh valley. 84 degrees. up to 82 degrees with just a chance of an afternoon shower in delaware. and for philadelphia and the suburbs, normal for this time of year, into the low 80s. cooler temperatures can be found at the shore with partly sunny skies this afternoon. up to 70 degrees. >> and that's your latest weather. get weather anytime you need it on the weather channel on cable. coming up next, keshia

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fellow actors, including keshia knight pulliam. obviously, you have a long history with bill cosby. why was it important for you to be at the trial? and did you have reservations about it given the nature of the accusations? >> it was important for me to be there because at the end of the day, i believe you're innocent until proven guilty. and that's not the man that i ever experienced. and i thought about it, how would i want to be treated if i was in that situation? and the true test of family, of friendship, of loyalty comes. it's easier to be there for someone when business is good, when money is good, all these things. i just felt like i wanted to do what i would have wanted to receive. >> you have a special insight into bill cosby. you were there for the first day. you've been communicating with him over the course of the trial. what would you say his state of mind is right now? >> i feel -- i can't speak to

this exact moment. but my interactions with him, he's been in good spirits. he's been upbeat. knowing mr. cosby is to know, he's a comedian. there's that sense of laughter. and i was grateful to see his spirit hadn't been broken as a result of this process. it's arduous. there's nothing happy or good for either side. it's not a good situation. >> i know you said you'll accept the verdict, no matter what it is. if he is found guilty, will that change your opinion of him at all? >> you know, i'm going to have to cross that bridge when i come to it. i'll be disappointed. however, it won't change the love. that is not condoning sexual assault. as a graduate of spelman college, an all-women's college, my foundation all about empow

empoweriempowe empowering self-esteem for youth. and being a mother, it's nothing that i condone. but he's a person, a father, a husband, a parent. someone's son. >> did you learn anything in the course of the trial? the jury is out. but there was evidence in the trial in which mr. cosby acknowledges, for example, giving drugs to women that he wanted to have sexual relations with. when you hear that, how do you square that with the person that you know? >> what i can say is i was there for the opening arguments for the prosecution and the defense. i didn't hear the testimony that you're specifically speaking to. but what i do know is the judge was adamant that the jury's job -- it's not ours because we don't hear all of the evidence, but they're the ones that will hear every piece, every shred of evidence. it's up to them to make a decision, not on bias or

anything else, except for the facts of the case. i trust they'll do a good job at that pup. >> a lot of people are looking at bill cosby thinking, do we really know him? you have all these accusers that have come forward. how do yo feel about that? >> i feel like this -- everyone has their own experiences and things they've done, you know, whether they're proud of them or not. and he's clear, yes, he has been unfaithful to his wife. and that piece is between the two of them. and the only people who know what happened, were the two people in the room at that time. and ultimately, if she chooses to forgive him for those things, that's between the two of them. and it's just a hard situation, however you toss it, however you slice it, however you look at it. it's not a favorable situation. >> keshia knight pulliam. i know you're a new mom.

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good morning. i'm vai sikahema. it is just about 8:00 on this wednesday morning. some folks dealing with a little bit of rain. let's get right to meteorologist bill henley with the most accurate weather forecast. >> we've been watching showers and thunderstorms. you see them moving through new jersey. look at pemberton, lightning and some heavy downpours there. and moving just to the south of tabernacle and northeast of hammo hammondton, showers and thunderstorms. then the showers and thunderstorms have been stronger in delaware. those are just acrossing into salem county -- crossing into salem county, pennsville getting pounded with heavy rainfall. the rain will not be affecting everyone. it's not going to be around all day. the rain has been coming down at the rated of almost three -- the rate of almost three inches an hour. the temperatures have been falling. cold air that's coming in is producing showers and thunderstorms this morning. it's not cold outside but cooler than what we saw yesterday

afternoon. and this afternoon, no 90s. 80s today. >> thank you. looks like a lot of volume on the blue route. let's get details from jessica boyington. what are you seeing? we're watching the blue route around the baltimore pike. on the northbound side, we're dealing with an accident scene and jammed pretty much moving by the scene and even past it, as well. the southbound side moving little bit better for now. 95 almost at a standstill, nothing reported right now. i checked to see if there was an accident scene southbound. for now a 53-minute trip from woodhaven to the vine. speeds into the teens now. back to you. >> thank you. jurors will be back at work in montgomery county to try and reach a decision in bill cosby's sexual assault trial. the jury has spent 16 hours deliberating so far. they've asked several questions but have not yet returned with a verdict. we will have another update coming up in 25 minutes. meanwhile, join us every weekday morning for "nbc10 news today" from 4:30 to 7:00.

this is an nbc news special report. >> good morning, everyone. i'm savannah guthrie. alongside craig melvin. we have breaking news at this hour. details coming in about a shooting that happened in alexandria, virginia, right outside of washington, d.c. reportedly, a member of congress has been shot. this happened at a baseball field, where we're understanding, they were practicing for a softball game coming up. >> congressional softball game set to happen tomorrow. tom costello is on the phone. what do we know? >> reporter: guys, good morning. we're in alexandria, virginia, across the river from washington. this occurred in the past hour, within the 7:00 hour, eastern time. a gunman allegedly opening fire

on a group of members of congress that were playing baseball, practicing for a big baseball game they have every year. that game is tomorrow night. they were on a practice field when a gunman, apparently, opened fire. we have reports of people hit. we cannot tell you exactly who has been hit. there's within report that a fun withman has been taken into custody. that's where we stand at this point. there may be more in the next few minutes. but a tremendous amount of emergency equipment here with alexandria, virginia. allegedly one gunman taken into custody. >> there's reports that a member of congress has been shot. but we just can't clear whether or not that identity has been confirmed. we have no reports at this hour of any fatalities. as tom just mentioned, potentially multiple shots fired. >> there's reports that this gunman may be in custody.

is this an area that's in lockdown in do they believe this is a gunman who acted alone? do they think he is part of something larger? and the caveat being this is very early and all this information is, of course, preliminary. >> reporter: yeah. craig, there's so much police activity in this area. i'm still not able to get up to the scene itself. i'm a couple of blocks away. with this much police activity there, the streets are locked down at the moment. i can't get in close. i can't answer your question as to whether they think other players might be involved here. we have a report that one gunman may be in custody this point. there are members of congress tweeting out updates on themselves and reporting that multiple shots were fired. one report has it that a rifle was involved in the xhoot ishoo. >> nbc has confirmed that steve scalise, in the united states

congress, was among those who was shot. unclear what his condition is at the moment. i want to go to peter adlex derr at the white house. sean spicer has said that the president and vice president has been briefed. >> reporter: sean spicer, very close relationships with members of congress, that could include steve scalise, the republican from louisiana. spicer writing that the president and vice president are aware of this situation in virginia. adding, our thoughts and prayers are with the affected. there's reports that scalise was hit in the hip. a lot of reports, many coming through twitter, lawmakers and their aides communicating on twitter. another suggesting that mo brooks, another republican lawmaker, used his belt as a

tourniquet to stop some of the bleeding. this took place in the delray area of virginia, that's on a gent if iing area. an area that's had problems. unclear if the victims here, the individuals, who were hit, were targeted. or if this is violence that happened to take place in that area. about the congressional baseball game, that is at least this morning -- as of this morning, scheduled to take place tomorrow at the nationals ballpark. this is one of the few bipartisan opportunities that exists in washington, with a deeply divided congress right now. this is a chance for everybody to come together, on days like tomorrow night. the reason why so many lawmakers get up for an early morning practice at 6:00 in the morning. we're going to work on getting new details on who was hit by the bullet. >> we're just getting this information. nbc has been able to confirm that congressman steve is a

leas scalise, is among those shot. we believe there were multiple shots fired. and it's my understanding there was another congressman there at the time, and may have been involved, as peter mentioned, to give aid. >> peter, stay there for us. let's get back to tom costello again. on his way to this baseball field in northern virginia. again, tom, at this point, since our last conversation, we were able to confirm it was congressman scalise, who was shot. awaiting an update on his condition. can you describe for us the scene where you are, tom? >> yeah, craig. i've managed to get up to the field. there's a series of recreational fields. soccer fields, baseball fields, and the like. a very heavy police presence, blocking all roads going into that area, arnold the baseball

field for several blocks. fire and ems on the scene. we don't see any officers who are tactically armed. it means the scene is big enough, it's difficult to see where those people are. also, police helicopters in the air above the scene. >> tom, not to put you on the spot. but you've been around washington a long time. if a member of congress is in a recreational setting, is there any security detail that would go along with that member of congress? >> reporter: i don't believe so, savannah. not for a typical member of congress. they come and go. they may or may not have a security individual watching over them. this is not the kind of protection you would get with the president or the vice president, or a cabinet member, as you know. >> this is a look at northern

virginia. alexandria, virginia. just over the bridge there, washington, d.c. word of shots fired at a congressional baseball field. a congressional baseball game practice, waiting to get more details here. tom costello on the phone. telling us that the scene right now, roads blocked into those fields. fire and ems. a large presence, obviously, there, as we're waiting to find out more about the suspect. m tom, i know you indicated a short time ago, there's reports that there's a suspect in custody. do you have information on that? >> i'm afraid i don't, craig. candidly, i try to make my way up to the command post. i'm not in a position to ask police for an update. you may have a little quicker access to information through the network newsdesk at the moment. >> and obviously, we're all over that. there's a lot of conflicted reports on twitter.

this is when we try to take a depth breath and have some caution. this is the early hours we get information that ultimately changes. we want to be as careful as we can be. but we know a congressman has been shot. there was one shooter that fired multiple shots at this baseball practice. >> i was in washington, d.c. over the weekend. there was a great deal of talk about the game. these are the first pictures we're getting in from the baseball field here in northern virginia. first pictures from the scene. difficult to discern from this vantage point. >> is this a live picture? it is a live picture. >> reporter: and just asking tom. you see the baseball fields. and peter alexander with a little more information. pete, what do you have? >> reporter: we are now hearing from mo brooks, who was at this republican baseball practice this morning, as this took

place. here's what he's saying in interviews. he said behind third base, he saw a rifle. then, he heard steve scalise's league, the republican from louisiana, scheming. that was by second base. scalise, bleeding, crawls into the outfield. he's detailing the harrowing scene now. he says the two members of the security detail were among those who were shot, which is important, because it indicates that the lawmakers had their own security teams with them at the time. he said that the shooter was hit by gunshots, by security, who apparently were firing back at the time. mo brooks describes that when this happened, he was in the on-deck circle. he was looking in the outfield, as he mentioned. he saw someone, a shooter behind third base. he saw the rifle. that's when shots were fired. he said there were 50 shots. 50 shots or as many as 100

shots. this is coming from mo brooks, one of the republican members of congress, at that shooting early this morning. just shy of an hour ago, about 7:15 this morning. craig and savannah? >> it sounds like congressman brooks is giving an interview. sounds like he's describing this situation that's quite harrowing. and he reportedly is somebody who was able to try to help aid steve scalise. some people talking about mo brooks using his belt as a tourniquet to address him of the bleeding. we don't have a word on the congressman's condition, whether he's at the hospital. the softball practices are a rite of summer in washington. and members of congress go, staffers go. there would have been quite a few people at this baseball field in alexandria, virginia. this is across the river from

washington, d.c. you can see the capital from alexandria, virginia. >> peter, can you clear up some cop fusion here, if you can. reports that congressman scalise has been shot. can you confirm if sufftaffers e been shot, as well? >> i can only base my reporting on what mo brooks is saying in an interview. he said that steve scalise, the majority whip, was shot. he believes that one staffer was hit, as well as two members of the congressional detail. he thought about five people were wounded right now. we don't have specifics. and we just don't know. >> peter, thank you. i don't know if we have tom costello to check back in with. tom, are you with us? >> reporter: yes, i am, savannah. a block and two blocks away from

this scene, a bunch of schoolkids. all of them walking to school at this moment, through this very sensitive area. the kids with backpacks and shorts and t-shirts on a very hot day in the washington, d.c. area, all making their way to the local schools. business as usual, in the block surrounding this. as you would expect, the police focus on that theme, on the ballpark scene right there. a very heavy police presence, as well. we haven't seen anymore ambulances rushing in. one would ascertain on that language, that in fact, the situation is contained at this moment. >> i was having the same thought, tom. we were look at this live shot. and we can see some of the emergency personnel that are there. but they do not seem to be in a state of trying to actively protect a scene or searching for

somebody. perhaps it is the case that whatever has unfolded, it is somewhat under control at this moment. it's scary when you talk about the schoolkids. >> you mentioned the schoolkid ps and y and you can see passers by traipsing through the area there. i know you're making your way to the command center to try to talk to officials. when you get more concrete information, let us know. according to tom, savannah, it sounds like this is a situation that may be, hopefully, contained. >> i'm reading a tweet from steny hoyer, he's the democratic counterpart to steve scalise. >> he's from maryland. >> he's monitoring reports the and thinking about steve scalise and his staff. we're just starting to get this information as it comes down.

this is a shot. this looks to be from twitter, helicopter arriving on the scene. >> our peter alexander, just a few moments ago, on our air, doing some reporter. kro congressman brooks was giving an interview, and recounted what appears to have happened. someone behind the third baseline, at this park in northern kvirginia, saw a rifle. and saw steve scalise, crawling into the outfield. he was bleeding profusely, according to congressman brooks. mr. brooks also telling us that the shooter appeared to have been hit by gunshots. there's a number of things we co-not know at this point.

among the outstanding questions, is the suspect in custody? was the suspect shot and killed there? did he act alone? this is an area that appears to be -- the situation appears to be under control to a certain extent. >> we have somebody on the phone that can shed some light, charles hallaran. >> i came in the side door because the front door was locked. i came in the gym, and people were visibly shaken. a woman had been leaving. it went through the glass and into the pool area. another shot. >> you were in the "y."

how close is the "y" to the baseball field? can you give us a sense of how close this was? >> 75 yards. it's adjacent. >> what did you hear about what happened here this morning? >> she said she thought some of the shots might have come from law enforcement but wasn't sure because they were shooting at the shooter and took the shooter down. and there were three bodies on gurneys they were tending to. and a chopper came and pull one of them out of here. we can't see who anyone is. we can't confirm if they were members of congress, shooters or staff. >> it was her sense that the shooter had been shot by police. >> she said he was down. yeah. >> charles, the scene right now, where you are, can you tell if this is a situation ongoing? or is this a situation that seems to be under control right now?

my first thought was that it's under control, and it probably is. but there's mayhem out there, looking with all of the police vehicles and fire vehicles. they're probably being prudent. but some are working out inside the "y. "they won't let everyone leave until it's all clear. >> thanks for calling in and telling us your story. we want to go back to tom costello. you've been speaking to another witness. >> can i ask your name? >> it's katie fellows. >> reporter: what happened? what did you see? >> i was getting out of my car to go to the dog park. everybody started screaming, hit the ground. hit the ground. and a bunch of the players ran behind the big tree. i was in the middle of the field. i laid flat in the field.

the sounds were getting louder, like he was walking towards all of us. >> reporter: the gunman? >> i was screaming. they couldn't because nobody could do anything. and the special agents pulled out a handgun and was screaming, drop your weapon. and shot her. >> reporter: the shooting suspect was a woman? >> no. >> reporter: the agent was a woman? >> i think she was a woman. not sure about that, either. she fell down in front of us. we were trying to lay as flat as we could. i shoved the dogs under the car. tied from the person. then, the s.w.a.t., whoever came, and seemed to get it under control.

>> reporter: did you notice anybody that was shot? beyond the officer? >> there were a couple of people injured. the penitentiarson that was they guard. other than that, i didn't know it was anybody famous until the investigator told me. >> reporter: and the gunman. you think the gunman was shot, as you believe? >> i think they captured him. >> reporter: let me tell the anchors in new york, you're shaking. it's hard for you to control right now because you've seen something traumatic. and i would imagine, you're grateful you got out alive. >> you never think something like this is going to happen to you. it was terrifying. unless, i have my dog children with me. i'm glad that all of us are okay. >> reporter: i'm going to kick it back to you. this is a very dramatic thing.

she's shaking and difficult -- just trying to hold it together. >> if datekatie is with you, cae describe the shooter at all? >> reporter: let me ask. >> as we wait for tom to, perhaps, ask that question and get back to us, sort of a recap of what we just heard from that eyewitness, katie. saying that she heard some popping sounds. she ha and her dogs, they hit the ground. she saw the gunman. she saw what appeared to be, perhaps, a female agent, some sort of law enforcement agent. pulls out a gun. starts to shoot back in the direction of the gunman. this was from one eyewitness. and then, we heard from charles,

as well. tom, are you with us? >> peter at the white house. hi, peter. >> reporter: high, savannah and craig. we're hearing from mo brooks, a former district attorney. today, serving in the role as a doctor. he used his belt as a tourniquet to stop some of the bleeding of one of his own products. he's describing as best he can see it, the gunman. describing this individual as a white male. saying this person was middle aged. he said there were 15 to 20 people at this baseball field at that time. among those was the kentucky senator rand paul. rand paul is telling our comments at white house, that

one of the things that saved the individuals there, was a fact that steve scalise was there. he had security staff with him. he had a security detail with him at the time. as it's described by mo brooks this morning. he said there were 20 r 10 to 20 rounds from the shooter's rifle, before he heard police myfiring back. he says of the capital police, i'm sure they were as aspanished as we were. all of this taking place in the last hour. mo brooks speculating -- mo brooks indicating he believes about five individuals were hurt here. this is one of the metro stigss in alexandria, virginia. it's an area i lived not too far from. this is an area that had bouts of crime in the past.

police have gone to the residents and speaking about crime. there's been murders an other violence there. before we make a judgment that this was targeted, it's worth known this is an area that had some violence in the past, as well. >> thing thats as are not alway you seem. there were several members of clock at this baseball practice. rand paul was saying that he believed this could have been much worse. he says, because steve scalise is a member of the house leadership, he would have had a security detail of some sort. and i assume in a senator paul knows. we had witnesses tell us this

morning they saw up to three bodice on gurneys. they believe that the shooter has been stopped. perhaps shot by police. we look at this live picture. >> the democratic baseball team was practicing elsewhere. >> we heard peter talking about something elsewhere on twitter. the democrats were practicing a baseball game. and posted a picture of them praying, as everyone is. >> and for folks that aren't familiar with this game, it happens every year. for charity. it's one of the few bipartisan events left in d.c. it was set to happen tomorrow at washington park. members of congress, their aides, staffers, at a softball game. and the rehearsaals take place. according to mo brooks, the

congressman that has been shot, a huge baseball fan. so much so, during the course of the campaign, was known to give out bats. nbc news law enforcement analyst, jim kavanaugh, is standing by this, as well. jim, i understand that you've been watching this. as the scene plays out, what goes through your mind? >> reporter: points, craig, that a rifle was used. i watched senator paul's interview. he believed it was rifle fire. he thought it was a clika lish a cough rifle. the gunman can get back. the capital police, the security detail and congressman scalise stopped him.

this is targeted, you know? i've been working shootings all my life. this is a baseball game at 7:30 and the morning. the practicing has been gone on for a few months. i know that area very well. nobody is out there with a rifle shooting baseball players. it's targeted at the congress. you can stand back and you can start shooting into a small group of people. two or three people gathers around a base, home plate, the dugout. everybody scatters. it gets harder to hit them. they're running and senator paul said, the gunman was running, too. that takes the accuracy away. >> i see a tweet from the police department, saying the suspect is in custody, and not a threat.

they will have a public information officers sharply to fill us in. that's a tweet from the police department. go on. complete your thought. >> it's excellent work by the capital police. when you have a distance shooter with a rifle in a field, who is moving, and the capital police security detail, some of the officers wounded, savannah. then, they get to stop the guy, arrest the guy, that's exceptional work. we have to worry about the wounded congressman. what we used to say to our agents and atf, if you're shot and you know it, you have a good chance of living. when you're thought, the medical care you're going to get in alexandria is exceptional. you have a chance to live, and let's hope there's no fatale if i ties out of this.

the shooter being moved by the cap cal police. hope that's the case. >> to be clear here again, this is very early. you're certain that this was a deliberate act? >> we have a lo of shootings we go to. when they're gang-related or a criminal shooting each other or drive-byes, that happens on a front stoop. it happens at the gang member's funeral. those. >> reporter:s and nightclubs, 4:00 a.m. 7:30, shooting directly at softball players in the clear daylight of a washington morning is not aing gang activity. >> sorry to interrupt again.

we want to go to wrc, speaking to a witness. let's listen. >> they're not letting anybody in and not letting anybody out. just to old tight. >> how long did you work for the wmca? >> since january. >> what's your reaction to what's happened here? >> it's a very safe neighborhood. unusual to hear anything about this. it's surprising me. >> we heard there were shots fired into or shots hit the window of the ymca where you were. can you confirm that? >> i can't confirm that. i wasn't in. i can't confirm it. >> is everyone safe where you work? >> i believe so. >> can you reiterate what you did see or hear? >> shots fired around the ymca.

and five people were hit. >> you didn't see it yourself? >> i didn't see it. can you describe the energy response you saw? >> when i was coming in, a cop behind me. then, three cops that passed by. and the cop behind me, he took off. when i pulled up to the light down the street, i seen the helicopter. an just crazy. >> what did your supervisor say what happened to the people inside the "y" a the time? >> i believe they sheltered. >> was there anybody else that saw what you saw? was it crowded? >> it was crowded. i'm not sure what anybody else seen. yeah. >> there weren't any people such as yours walking around? >> no.

that's not -- i just pulled up, when everything was looked off. >> how do yo uh feel right now? >> i don't know. words can't describe right now. i have no idea. >> he had a semiautomatic weapon? >> i am looking at a tweet, as we listen to this witness describe what he herd. clear mccaskill indicates that the officers will be okay. and she adds, i hope it's true f. some members of law enforcement may have been injured today. >> this is coming in from alexandria public schools. apparently on lock-in. this is per official there. all of the school boards are

locked. no entry into or exit from the school is allowed. areas -- schools in this area of alexandria are -- they call it lock-in. known to most is lockdown. >> alexandria p.d. says the shooter is in custody and no longer a threat. steve scalise was shot. we don't know his condition. there were several members of congress there. lots of staffers. this is a rite of summer in washington, these baseball practices. and there was a big game that was supposed to happen, i believe form. >> yeah. at national stadium in washington, d.c. >> what we hear from witnesses is horrific. >> we've heard from a number of witnesses in the last 30 seconds or so. according to one of them, the gunman being described as a white male, middle-aged.

and sounded as if there was a rifle there was used. tom costello is back at the scene. what can you tell us at this point? >> reporter: we have made our way to the scene. and right on monroe street. you'll see a tremendous amount of fire and police activity. and the work is to your left. that transpired about 7:00 this morning. and we talked to one witness who said she was walking her dog through the park, when shots rang out. and one person went down. she believed that was a security officer that was returning fire against the gunman. she wasn't aware of anybody else hit. but also says, when she hit the ground, she was pressing her face to the ground. she couldn't tell what the

gunman looked like. but this people believe it was a high-powered weapon. a rifle of some sort that was able to pop off a lot of rounds all at once. that witness hugged the ground and kind of scooted across the ground, until she was able to get near a car and take refuge underneath a car. they brought in a helicopter for the officer who was thoughted. she believed it was a female officer. she did not have eyes on any member of congress. but said it was a scary and terrifying scene with an active shooter on this baseball field. if you're are just joining us, this was a softball or baseball practice for members of congress, getting ready for the game tomorrow night. shots ringing out alt this cleveland here.

if you were to keep driving down that sheet, wow you'd have hit the river. the other side of the river is washington, d.c. alexandria is a place where members of congress live. alexandria police department now have one suspect in custody. we don't know his or her identity. and we don't know the conditions of the people that they have been hit. >> we'll let you continue your reporting. let's go to peter alex dler. he is at the white house. we have a statement from the president. are you hearing about possible motive, peter? >> that statement from president trump right now. he writes, the vice president and i are aware of the shooting incident in virginia and are monitoring developments closely. we're saddened by this tragedy. capital politician first

responders, affected. that's part of a statement from fr president trump. i was looking at pennsylvania avenue in front of the white house. the road is shut down. additional yellow tape out there. lafayette park is closed to the public, as well. they may be able to tell us there's security measures being in place. as certain as the circumstances that played out in alexandria, we're hearing more details, the republican that was among those. he said of the shooter, he was going after elected officials. it wasn't an accident. and rand paul, also there, he was heaping praise on the capital police, who he says

happen to be there because the majority whip, steve scalise was there. had they not been there, it would have been a massacre. rand paul aun others are praising the police on this morning. >> we're starting to see some statements from members of congress. i see a statement from jeff duncan. he said i am safe. i believe i saw the shooter. aim in the process of giving a statement to police. i think we have kasie hunt on the hill. let's see if we have something new. >> i just arrived here at the capitol. i was at a softball practice for the women's version of this congressional baseball game. the congressional women's softball game, when we heard the news and broke our practice early to come here. you can tell on the way in, the

security presence was heightened. several had heard their colleagues had been issued and was starting to get the information. they said they did not have confirmation of anything. they couldn't tell me exactly what had gone on, except for the early reports. but they did say there's going to be an increase of presence of security at gallaudet university. where democrats are were holding a similar practice. i'm sorry, savannah. >> we have a piece of sound from mo brooks, who was there and gave ad to steve scalise, if we could. >> there were clockman and staffers who help us. one of them was wounded in the

leg. took off my belt. we applied a tourniquet to slow down the bleeding. >> that was mo brooks from alabama, who went on to say had it not been for capital police, that would have been a massacre. >> he said he thought he heard up to 250 shots. he said the security detail was dee there. he said he saw the point of the rifle, he ran behind home plate. he thinks the noneman was excite male, middle age. he said it wasn't an accident. that's the account that mo brooks, is giving to another cable network in morning and we're quoting from that. >> there's 30 members who were slated to be on the roster. not clear if all of them were at that particular practice.

we're talking about members of congress, their aides. all of them, getting ready for this baseball game that was set to happen tomorrow at nationals park. clint van zandt is a former fbi profiler. clint joining us now, as well. as we continue to watch the scene here. these are pictures of the scene. is there word that the gunman used a high-powered rifle? what kind of rifle it was. when we look at motive. again, it's early in the investigation. but what jumps out to you right now. >> it seemed like a planned activity. this individual didn't just stumble on this event this morning because he's driving around town looking for someone to shoot. there's been one report of a witness who said they saw

someone that may or may not have been the shooter, that asked the political parties the individuals represented on the field. that's not been confirmed yet. but if it does, that may suggest some further foetive. as we know, the law enforcement will be able to shed information. and it will be like any other shooting that we have. law enforcement, fbi, secret service, are going to move qu k quickly by finding out who should have done this or transpi transpired. anyone has the responsibility to protect members of congress, are going to have to lead forward in the saddle, on the offchance this the is something of a conspiracy. >> how hutch time would it tyke

place? >> you have to know how to get in and out of the practice. my thought, it would not be a spur of the moment type. it would be someone with advance information. where does one get that information? was it available in the media? >> and on that point, let me add to it. senator rand paul, who was talking to msnbc this morning, was there. he jumped the fence and hid. he said the group had been practicing two months, from 6:15 to 8:00. he added, if the police hadn't been there. if the capitol hill detail that follows congressman scalise, had they not been there, rand paul said this would have been a massacre. interesting to know this is something they had been done.

perhaps some routine to that. >> it certainly would have. we realize today we have to have armed security at america's favorite sport. they still have to be there. and it suggests what a high-profile target political figures have become today. and that, instead of just having town meetings. now, you have to have town meetings with security detail. it's a sad comment on society, and the guns in coat. >> our thoughts go out to gabrielle giffords in tucson, arizona. she was holding a town meeting and was shot. now, this is a baseball practice. staff members and members of congress. we've been reporting to bring people up to date. a lone gunman, it appears.

came with up to a rival. a member of congressman steve scalise was shot. others were shot. perhaps up to five people. we had one witness tell us this morning that she saw three team on a gurney. police saying the suspect is in custody and not a threat. >> that's a white male, mid hfl aged. also, described by mo brooks, on the chunky side, as well. the gunman in custody. getting more details here. a lot of the information coming from mo brooks, a republican on the field, as well. at one point, the alabama congressman used his belt as a tourniquet. to help stop the bleeding. scalise apparently shot on the field and proceeded to crawl into the outfield.

we heard from a woman on the phone earlier. her name was katie. she was there in the area with her two dogs. she described the scene, hearing the gunshots from the rifling, hitting she thought a member of law enforcement, a woman pulling her gun and shooting. there's a number of questions we don't know. the condition of congressman scalise. and the condition of the staffers who were thought, as well. >> i have a friend who works on capitol hill. she says her boss, kevin brady, was at the baseball game this morning. he is okay. he's with another staffer that's okay. that's another member of congress that was present. we were talk about rand paul. i think we have some of that interview. let's listen. >> at one point, it appeared the

gunman was -- i think he continued to reload. i heard 50, 60 shots. finally, we heard response from the capitol hill police. we're lucky they were there. they do a great job. these are brave men and women. we were lucky they were there. >> reporter: did you see anything happen between the capitol hill police and the security detail? did you see the perpetrator at all? >> i could see in the distance. we couldn't see the gun. but it was a rifle. one of this things that is fortunate and not everyone would have died, except for the fact that the mrcapitol hill police were there. if scalise wasn't on the team.

unfortunately it was going well, by him being there, it could have saved his life. there there wasn't have been him there, no security there. >> that was rand paul recounting what went down on the baseball field a short time ago. we are hearing from other the members who are there. jeff flaken saying this gunman, a lone gunman, knew what he was doing. congressman flake saying he called steve scalise's wife to tell her what happened. >> kasie hunt, are you hearing more? >> we're here with congressman costello. relate to us what your experience was this morning. >> my experience was the ride to practice, if i'm not there at 6:00, they leap. i go with rodney davis and brad

w winstrip. i went down to the house gym. i was looking for a member that was leaving practice. it was 6:18. okay, i'll go get ready for work and ended up in my office around 7:00 a.m. i was watching you on "morning joe." and maybe 7:45, i saw it was breaking news. >> you missed this by about two minutes. have you folken to leagues there? >> the only thing i know is what i'm seeing right now. i play short stop. steve play s second. it hits home. >> you seem shaken by this. >> the other thing to note, there's 10 to 25 members. there's 10 to 15 staffers.

these are guys that work for the members. and it's very -- i'm speechless. >> savannah, craig, a difficult account here. >> we talked about senator flake, who has been recalling his experience. one of the congressmen was still at the baseball field. gerrick headache has made his way to the scene. what more have you learned? >> just an enormous security presence here. they locked down a large part of this ballpark. two blocks away. they're calling it help this morning. the city and county of alexedly ya are here. the nbc news horting that thetive r tuff is on here to assist with the information.

alexandria police are taking the lead. they say the gunman is no longer a threat. we understand that he's likely been shot. we don't know more of the details about that. we're going to try to get closer to the line here and come back to you, as soon as we can get it. >> thank you. peter alexander, at the white house. and understanding that president trump tweeting a few moments ago about this. >> we heard from him moments earlier in a statement. he writes on twitter, steve scalise in indiana, was body injured. that tweet from president trump, a matter of moments ago. we're hearing from law enforcements, as well. one of them is mark walker. he's a congressman from north carolina. he was at the site at the time. shaken but okay. gunman was there to kill as many

republican members as possible. grateful to capitol hill police. at least two police members were among those hit by bullets today. it appears their heroism, shooting back, may be what ended this. cbs news radio just finished a conversation with a representative from ohio. the congressman brad wenstrip. said the gunman was armed with a rifle and the pistol. that is part of the investigation that law enforcement on scene closed in on him as it has been described. he says that wenstrup treated scalise is okay. the majority whip, serving in office since 2008, appears to be okay, despite his injuries after

this awful morning in alexand a alexandria, virginia. >> we mentioned the president himself saying scalise was badly injured. senator jeff flake said he saw the gunman hiding behind the dugout. that the point that f that all happened, they were doing batting practice. a female was shot and was airlifted by chopper. and another man has been shot in the chest. we don't know their condition yet. but it confirms there were multiple injuries. one gunman that we've heard about. and that gunman in custody according to alexandria police. >> senator blake, there's been talk of 50 shots.

senator flake saying that's an understatement. he said, i remember seeing gravel bounce off as shots were coming near us. some folks were calling 911. some was applying pressure to a staffer that was shot in the league. sko congressman scalise was playing second base. daged himself in the feel. he was motionless. and senator flake saying he wanted to get to him, with shots being fired from both sides. we heard that the shooter was down. senator flake ran down to steve and started putting pressure on the moon. there were 25 members of congress who were there. 32, republican members.

>> we just mentioned gabrielle giffords, the former congresswoman who was shot. my heart is with their former colleagues. public servants and heroes every kay. >> so many questions. the condition of the congressman. a condition of a number of safrs. we are getting details about the gunman. middle aged, white man. had a rifle and perhaps a pisal, as well. we don't know the condition. tom costello on the scene for us. what do we know? >> in a few minutes, the alexandria police chief will be briefing the members of the media. they just moved this cruiser back so he has a little bit of room. his name is michael brown. he arrived a short time ago.

this being the city of alexandria, they are in charge of the investigation. but the capitol hill police department is involved in the investigation. we believe members of the capitol hill police department were involved in this incident with the shooter. to reiterate, and my apologies. we believe we have five people who have been shot. that including gop whip scalise and two equipment officers. a staffer may have gone down. we talked to a witness who saw the whole thing happen. but wasn't sure if the gunman was a man or a woman. could not provide details other than that. did say, as soon as the shooting started, she, the witness, hit the ground quickly and was putting her face into the mud, staying as low as she could. it was terrifying, as members of the security detail exchanged gunfire with the gunman that is

why they brought in the helicopter to get that officer out. she thought that office every was a woman. but she wasn't sure. a total of five people shot, including the gunman at this moment. no reports fatalities. it would appear that the whip, scalise, did not suffer threatening injuries. >> it looks like a statement on twitter. he is tells nbc news, i am shaken but okay. the gunnman was there to kill as many republicans as possible. that's congressman mark walker, at the scene. that's the statement to nbc news, this person was there to kill as many republican members

as possible. this is in line with some other statements heard from members. this is a practice. >> let's listen in. >> ladies and gentlemen, i'm going to try to make this brief and give you what we currently have at this location. i am chief michael brown. i'm joined by number of officials that are working with us on this particular scene. what i would like to talk to you and give you an oversaw of what look police. we received a call of active shooter. fine minutes after -- an overview of what look place. we received a call of active shooter. shots fired nine minutes after 7:00 this morning, here at the park on monroe. at that time, there was a

practice team event, with folks that were representing some folks on the hill. we were there in three minutes. we know officers of the capital police, as well as three officers we had an scene, arrived. two of our officers engamed and returned gunfire. beyond that, we're not going to make any other statements until we know what's taken place here on this thing. an active scene. we have a lot of witnesses we're having to interview. we're collaborating with the capital police, and the alexandria sheriff's department. we're working with the federal bureau, directing evidence. we will try to keep you posted. right now, we're going to schedule a press conference about an hour and a half from now. right now, that's all we know.

we know that five people were transported medically from the scene. we will not give out names or locations at this point. i'm not going to take questions at this point, because you have everything i'm going to release alt this strung chur. i would like to ask the chief from the capital police to come up and make a brief statement. >> good morning. >> this morning, we received a call, via our communications of shots fired at this location. officers were who on-scene responded and engaged a suspect in gunfire. shortly thereafter, the alexandria police and other units responded to assist. at that point, we were able to calm the situation into victims

were transported to hospital. we're not going to get details in this investigation. this is very early on. i want to thank the police and fire department for their rapid response for their request for assistan assistance. we appreciate their rapid response. and certainly, it saves lives. at this point, we're going to gather the investigators together and look at what we have. and put this incident together. again, it's very early on. and there's a lot of witnesses to be interviewed. once we have information, we will pass on whatever information we can to make sure you have the information you need for your work. thank you very much.

i'm going to turn it back over to the alexandria chief. >> as the chief pointed out, this is an active, ongoing investigation. we are calling the crime scene hot. we are collecting evidence. in an hour and a half, we will give you an update of what we can speak to. and perhaps answer some questions. we're done right now. this is a stable situation. there's no additional threat. we consider this to be a closed incident. thank you very much. back with you in about an hour and a half. >> that was michael brown there. he is the politician chief in alexandria, virginia. telling us that all of us folded at 7:00. five people were taken to the hospital, acoraling to chief the

no word on their conditions. but the highlight, telling us this situation, is stable. but the investigation continues. >> we're starting to see some of the aftermath. bullet holes. there's a ymca that's right next to this baseball field. we can see some of the scattered glass. we've heard some of the harrowing accounts from bystanders and members of congress, that have described a horrific scene, said to be a white female coming in. firing up to 5 anothers, perhaps more. many members of congress said he seemed to know what he was doing. one member of congress said the shooter was there to shoot as many republican members of congress as possible. >> congressman brad wenstrup of ohio, he was there at the practice this morning.

wenstrup saying he believes that the shooter actually ran out of ammunition for his shotgun and grabbed a pistol and was entiring shots from his pistol before being strapped by police. tom costello standing by in alexandria, virginia. tom, again, according to chief brown there, this is a stable situation. they appear to have it contained. it includes the fbi and capital cl police, correct? >> that's the news for people in this neighborhood. it would appear that the situation is contained. and there is no active threat to the community. and that the individual shooter, we've been told now, from multiple sources, has been taken into custody. we have reports that he himself was wounded in exchange with

gunfire with police. it was capitol hill police that engaged the suspect. capitol hill police would have been here because it was an event with members of congress. and the whip was here, as well. him being in the leadership, he gets more security than typical members of congress. we would expect an update in 90 minutes or so. at this moment, we have no reports of any fatalities. we have five people shot, including the shooter. and the scene, we're going to ask you to look down the street. maybe we should pivot do the left. if you're not familiar, if you were to go down that street, to left is the ballpark. across the river is washington, d.c. this is close to the d.c. city limits. this is a place where many

people who work on xlil or the government, who are members of congress or members of the media, many of them live in alexandria. and this ballpark, i would just say, 500 yards from route 1, from u.s. route 1, if you're familiar with the d.c. area. that runs down to mt. vernon. >> okay, tom. we know you will keep reporting. want to go to kasie hunt. what can you tell us? >> reporter: hi, savannah. this is a developing scene here on capitol hill, as people filter in for the day. it's quiet at this time of the morning. and there is much heightened capital police activity. they seemed to have moved away now. there were extra officers

stationed outside on the peeker's office. i think people are just very surprised and shocked, in part because this is one of those events that is really designed to transcend what is the day-to-day partisan politicking on capitol hill. it's a very divided time for the country. this is an event that is to pit democrats and rbs against each over on the baseball field, it's coming together in a social way. one of the things that congressman costello told me, that joe barton, he's a member of the people, a republican from texas, had his son at practice yesterday. others said family members were attending the practice today. this is the day before the game

is scheduled to happen. people are coming from out of town to watch this game. that has shake unen up congress here. and you can feel the mood is one that is very sam per. >> absolutely. we heard reports of many members of congress that were there. members of staff. and there has been a report that one member's son was there, a 10-year-old, who witnessed this. we're starting to see video come in. i'm not sure what we're seeing. perhaps this was earlier in the day before these terrible events. >> we should note here, this was a baseball practice that was happening around 6:00 a.m. the republicans practice together on this field. meanwhile, democrats also practicing, as well. not far from where we're looking

in alexandria. peter alexander standing by from 1600 avenue. we heard from president trump, from official statement and twitter, as well. president trump responding on his birthday, as well. >> reporter: 71 years young today. a day he was hoping to celebrate. he and many members of the congress community and of the nation. an awful day that took place today. we're hearing from the vice president, make pence, who put out a statement via twitter. karen and i are playing for a speedy recovery. our hearts are with them and their loved ones. we're hearing from the vice president aufsz. he was going to speak to the association of home builders this morning. that spech has been canceled.

the president will head here to the white house on this day. many lawmakers, republican lawmakers, had gathered. they had a moment of silence when the community of the audience told them what had taken place. here, it appears that lafayette, is open to the public. but pennsylvania avenue is largely closeded at this time. the secret service hasn't communicated there's a change in its posture. members of the secret service with their weapons, the long arms in their hands, as they patrol outside the gates of the white house right now. there's no indication that would indicate there's a wider threat today. >> let's stand by there. let's go to kasie hunt.

i believe she has a member of congress with her. >> we're talking to dave brat of virginia. he does not play baseball. you watching events unfield. >> one of my democrat colleagues, and from there -- roger williams might have been shot. it takes a day like this. we have to wake up. we have 50 guys without basic t protection. they bike off to practice. but then, we don't reflect, it's a dangerous world out there. it was great. the weight room, the part that never gets reported, we get along across party lines. the democrats were showing concern. republicans. everybody's on the same team on a buy like this.

>> we all get along. when it comes to the policy and politics, you see us divide or whatever. it takes a day like this to wake us all up, to look a little higher in life. >> what should the next steps be? have you spoken be leadership? spoken with colleagues? >> in scalise wasn't there, we would be in trouble. he had an 25-15. and have standard patrol comes in police. i got 30 sections in ten minutes. are you okay? it's a new world. we got to slow it down a little bit. calm it down. >> he's referring that there

were people there this morning. it would have been much worse than it already is. >> pete williams, working his sources. pete, you have new information, we understand. >> there's a little confusion on how many people were actually shot. and what the situation is. we know at least two police officers were among those in the shooting today. could have been three. we know of two. and of the two, we are told that their injuries are not serious. they're going to be okay. then, mman scalise. and we are told the gunman was been shot and taken to the hospital. we don't have any information on what the motive was. nor do we know what kind of weapon he is using. >> everyone what was a witness,

sate it was a large gun, a rifle. what the motive was, is a mystery to those people we've been talking to. it doesn't seem like anybody has the answer to that. normally, in a situation like this, when you have a suspect identified, the police will immediately -- or the fbi, or whatever takes the lead, i suspect law enforcement officers have been involved. they will look at everything and try to develop the back story here. we're many steps before that at this point. >> any word on the gunman's condition? sfwle wi sfw >> we don't know much about the gunman at this point? >> we don't. just what witnesses are describing. a middle-aged white man, who came upon the scene.

many witnesses describe ed it aa long gun. some kind of rifle. i think it was senator paul that thought it was an al-15. the shooter has been detained. report think was shot by police. >> as pete just mentioned. it's early to discern a motive. no stated motive. nothing coming from officials. but we are starting to hear from law enforcementers on the scene this morning. jeff duncan, who represents the third district in south carolina, told the reporter that he talked to someone there. shortly before the shooting started. he believes, according to the congressman, he was talking to the shooter the and the man asked if this is a team of republicans or mms, practicing. >> a similar account from another lawmaker, as well. >> compaqly.

we're hearing from several of them from there. a lot of lawmakers are coming out and telling their story. it appears to them, that this was someone who was very deliberate. one member of congress saying this was a person who knew what they were doing, mo brooks, who has given a detailed account of what happened. using his belt as a tourniquet for steve is a scalise. no doubt this is a targeting of individuals. and we have tom costello who has been on the scene. looks like the people practicing. >> this is shortly after it all went down. these are sol of the lawmakers and staffers, leaving the saeb. tom costello, there for us.

we heard from michael brown, the chief of police there. we are expecting another update. he said some time in the next hour or two hours. >> i think the mean head lines for us on the ground, the situation is contained. it's active in determines of an investigation. the lone gunman is in custody after he was thought. we reiterate, of the ux chaeng with the gunman. and there may be additional. so, five in total. this went down just after 7:00 this morning. if you're wondering, why in the heck are members of congress playing softball or baseball on a wednesday? because they have a charity event they're preparing for.

this is a baseball game, a rite of message. and this was a practice run. and it's already hot here in washington, d.c. pushing 90 degrees. the neighborhood was going about a normal day here. i was passing kids in their t-shirts and shorts, going to school. the police locked down that local school. as you can see, this area here is locked down, as well. you see the plane going over the top. that's a good landmark. that's how close we are to reagan national airport. we are literally a mile -- i was doing a live shot for the "today" show this morning when this happened. that's why i got here so click by. about a mile and a half, two

miles away, from reagan airport. that's the potomac river, right over that rise from the horizon. >> not far from the pentagon, either. >> exactly. and the good news from the locals perspective, is that the team is security. we are believing two police officers were wounded in the exchange of gunfire with the suspect. >> we have a statement from congressman roger williams. he says that one of his staffers was shot and is receiving medical attention. the congressman was not shot. he was there. a staffer shot. we're in materially hours here. the chief of police said five people were medically transported. that's different than saying five people were shot. we have to have patience and

wait for the authorities to tell us what's transpired here. >> a lot of information we got came from alabama republican mo brooks on the scene. he's part of this baseball team. it was congressman brooks who described steve scalise at second base, get shot. managed to drag himself, his bloody body into the outfield. it was congressman brooks who said he had to use his belt as a tourniquet. this is coming from the alabama congressman. peter atllexander at the white house. what are you learning? >> reporter: we're hearing from the governor of louisiana. that's the home state of steve scalise. i want to read part of the statement. this appears to be an outrageous, cowardly attack, on one of our own, steve scalise, a friend and fighter for the

people of louisiana. that statement from john bell edwards, the governor of louisiana. it's worth noting, this is one of the great celebrated events here in washington. a deeply divided city that comes together one night each year for this ball game. steve scalise, asking his followers to pick the uniform he would wear for this game. he's been a participant in it numerous times. you can see the shots of him and his family over the course of the past years. this is something he celebrated. that's why there were at least 15 lawmakers out there. jeff flake saying he saw as many as 25 over the course of the corning. some of them, for their sakes, left before the shooting took place. one of the questions remains to be answered, is whether this will go on tomorrow night.

some saying, the teams should not be broken up. >> and paul ryan has tweeted this morning. he said, this morning, the hearts of the whole house are with steve scalise. the believe capital police staff and all those in harm's way. that was speaker ryan moments ago. jim kavanaugh is back with us. we heard from the police chief in alexandria telling us they are conducting this investigation. this is an active scene. a stable situation. and they are interviewing witnesses. jim, what do they hope to find out from the witnesses on the scene? >> they're going to put that together. they want to know when the gunman was spotted by a witness. they're going to re-create everything that has gone on there. they were determine his motive.

and will search his vehicle and his residence. they will be tracing the two guns he sad. those are currently under an urgent trace, he will know where he got those countries within hours. they will be locking down everything about this guy. they will get into motive and method and planning. they're going to do a psychological autopsy as clint and his screw ucrew used to say. everything has been done. why is he there? and what is motivating him? the key is, there's going to be a criminal prosecution. the shooter is alive. the alexandria police will have the assault ticket. fbi will have a ticket for assault on the congress and the

capital police. everybody is playing a big role here. it shows you that, even when a security detail, you don't have the whole facility secured, like the secret service would do for the president, you know, anybody can get in and walk up. the capital police acquitted themselves, the bravery. and the alexandria police, a quick response. >> three minutes, according to the police chief and rand paul, what would have been a massacre. a little earlier, tom costello spoke with a witness named katie. we want to play that interview. >> reporter: i'm speaking with a witness. what did you see? >> i was getting out of the car with my dogs to go to the dog park. everybody was screaming.

hit the ground. and a bunch of the players ran behind a tree. and i was in the middle of the field. and i layed flat in the field. he was walking across the field towards us. >> reporter: the gunman was? >> the gunman. i was screaming, someone can help me? but they couldn't. nobody could do anything. and special agent pulled out a handgun. and was trying to shoot back. shot her and fell on the ground. >> the suspect was a woman. >> no, no. >> reporter: the agent was a woman. >> he or she fell on the ground in front of us. we were trying to lay as flat as we could. i belly crawled, getting my dogs to a car and i layed as close as i could urn the car.

then, the police or whoever came, and seemed to get it under control. >> reporter: did you notice members, anybody that was thought? beyond the officer, did you notice anybody else shot? >> there were a couple people that were injured. the security guard, they took out on helicopters. i they didn't know who was who. i didn't know it was anybody famous until the investigator told me. >> the gunman, he was shot, too in. >> they captured him. >> let me tell the anchors in new york. you're shaking. it's hard to control. you've seen something traumatic. i would imagine you're grateful you got out alive. >> you never think something like that is going to happen to you. it was if terrifying and i have

my dog children with me. i'm thankful that all of us are okay. >> that was tom costello's conversation a little earlier with a young woman who was there and witnessed many of the events that have transpired. as we mentioned, many members of congress are telling what they saw. by our nbc news count, there were 13 members of congress. senate or rand paul said they he been practicing there for months. many members of congress reporting this was quite intentional. that perhaps members of congress had been targeted. and one member of congress telling a reporter asked, are there remembers or democrats at the field? disturbing coming out this morning. >> we know that the suspect is in custody at this point.

that's all we know about the suspect. other than he's middle aged, and a why guy. he was a man or a woman known to police. nor do we know this is pete williams standing by for us. pete, what do you have? >> just to be clear, everyone said the suspect is a man. from terms of those people that are wounded, as you understand, we're trying to get clear information about the victims here. we now know that a staffer for congressman roger williams of texas, was among those wounded. whether this was the only congressional staffer. we were told it was scalise and a member of his staff. maybe the staffer was one that worked for congressman williams. two police officers, congressman

kelis, and the gunman himself was also shot. we were told the gunman was taken to a hospital. we don't know the gunman. the capital police had only handguns carrying with them. when the shots began, they returned fire. we don't know how many times the gunman was wounded. what the condition is. and there's no information why this happened. >> jeff flake was among the lawmakers at the practice this morning and has given an account of what he saw. let's take a listen. >> we were doing batting practice. we heard shots. it was clear quickly there was a shooter with a high-powered rifle. and we -- many of us dove in the dugout. steve scalise, one of the

members of the majority whip in the house, was hit in the hip. dragged himself off into the infield. and he was down the whole time. most of us got into the dugout. then, there was return fire from the capital police, who are here as part of steve scalise, witness detail. and it went on for about ten minutes. dozens and dozens of shots fired. just going overhead. i got a look at the shooter. he came over behind the backstop. but he had a clear sight into the dougout. we couldn't stay up for long. when we heard all clear, that the shooter was down, i ran out to steve. to put pressure on the wound. >> where was he shot? >> in the left hip.

>> what did he say? >> he was coherent. he was asking for water. he laid out there on his own for ten minutes. we cut away the jersey and put pressure on it. it was bleeding quite a bit. >> who else was out there? >> i got out there first. and brad, a member from ohio, came out. he's a doctor. we got some -- a shirt, put it on there. as far as the other member -- steve was the only member shot. two of the capital police were shot. one staffer who dove into the dugout with a leg wound. we were tending to him as well as trying to keep down away from the shooter. so, and then, somebody was shot in the chest, as well. six total were shot by the

shooter. his name is matt. he helps out with the game. >> do you think it's targeted? >> i don't know any specific members that were targeted. >> a telling line from arizona senator, jeff flake, a few moments ago. he, of course, was there. and i want to read a tweet that's been sent by the first lady of the united states, melania trump. he says, thank you to the first responders who rushed in to help those who were hurt. a tweet from the first lady this morning the let's go back to tom costello. what more have you learned, tom? >> i'm talking to our local nbc affiliate, from wnbc. her police sources tell her the suspect is alive. the suspect that was shot, is alive. that's coming from wrc, our

station in washington. the situation on the ground is starting to see emergency vehicles clear the seen. some of the original paramedics and ems are on the scene now. and this is a control investigation, involving not only the alexandria police department. but of course, the secret service. you would imagine we would have the atf and fbi. this will be a multijurisdictional response, with the investigation here. five people shot including the gunman and from our local affiliate. hearing the gunman is alive at this point. >> going back to the conversation with jeff flake. he went on to say it was him that ultimately reached out to steve scalise's wife, so that she did not have to hear about what happened to her husband on

the news. senator fake called his life. he and 12 others took cover for about ten minutes, until he was able to get out to his bleeding colleague. steve scalise plays second base for the peopteam. he had been shot. and managed to get himself into the outfield. he was trying to get away from the shooter, according to a number of eyewitnesses there. mo brooks talked about using his belt as a tourniquet. flake said scalise was coherent. it was apparent he was shot in his left hip. we're waiting on an official update. >> and senator rand paul's account of what scalise went through is quite dramatic. he was shot but moving and tried

to drag himself off through the dirt and into the outfield. according to president trump, who tweeted, congressman scalise is going to be okay. suffering run gunshot wound. let's go to peter alexander. >> reporter: good morning to you. we are here at the white house, where we know that white house officials are monitoring that session, taking place in alexandria, virginia. not just the president, but the vice president and the first lady, on this morning. the marine guard is not in front of the white house. the president is not giving specifics on what is taking place. he was supposed to have an event at the labor department this afternoon, for the white house's desire, focusing on workforce development, why he was out of

town. the vice president's steech as it was scheduled. that was supposed to begin at 10:00. the vice president would be adding here to the how on this day. security at the white house is different than what we see at other days. pennsylvania graffer remains closed. carrying the long arms and the long guns as they walk around. at this point, there was no indication this was anything more than an isolated event. >> peter alexander for us this morning. 1600 pennsylvania avenue continuing to update us on the situation. thank you again. stand by if you can. as details unfold, savannah, and to be sure, a tragedy.

five people shot. a member of congress waiting to find out the update of a condition on the number of folks. based on what you saw on the scene, the rifle, it was semiautomatic. had it not been for capital police, a situation that would have been worse. >> and i think we learned from the alexandria police, we'll wait to hear what their condition may be. we had a witness describe, say three gurneys there. someone was medevacked earlier. and rand paul talking about what he saw this morning. we want to play a bit of that. >> at one point, the gunman --

he continued to reload. i probably heard 50, 60 shots. finally, we heard response from the capitol hill police. we're lucky they were there. these are brave men and women. we're lucky they were there. >> did you see anything happen between the capitol hill police or the security ke detail and the perpetrator? >> i could see way in the distance -- and everybody is saying he had a blue shirt on. i could not see -- the gun sounded like an ar-15 to most of us. we couldn't see the gun. it was a rifle. one of the things that are fortunate and probably everybody would have died except for the fact that the capitol hill police were there. the only reason they were there is because we had a member of leadership on the team. scalise being there probably saved everybody's life.

if you don't have a leadership person there, there would have been no security there. >> picking up on what you were talking about, senator paul feeling the presence of the capital police because congress m congressman scalise is in the house leadership. possibly prevented a worse tragedy today. >> jim kavanaugh, law enforcement analyst. in cases like this, and i'm reluctant to use that phrase because there's haven't been too many situations like this. is the gunman typically someone who is known to law enforcement? >> you know, the capital police keep a big file on people. i've gone to that file many times over the years when we were investigating, you know, people with guns that make threats. they keep a file, just like the secret service does on people who threaten their protected persons.

sometimes people are known to the protected -- the agencies that protect these leaders. that's one possibility. the other possibility, you have a man that's in some mental distress that's come across law enforcement before. or some kind of political radical. just a political r aradical, wh just -- any of those things are possible. >> i'm sorry to interrupt. i want viewers to know what they're watching. this is live picture. our capitol hill reporter telling us a bus with members returning from baseball practice to the capital and we're seeing folks there. members and congressmen, members of staff. we see people in baseball gear. and we have this report that has returned with some members of congress. people there this morning.

>> jim, continue your thought. >> i got a text from a retired after the special agent retired. he lives near the scene. within the last 30 minutes, he texted me and said he talked to a witness there. a female. she said she saw the man walking towards the ball field, with a rifle. official, this is before the shooting. she was very upset about that. she turned and ran into the xr ymca. she described him to the agency as an older male with a white beard. that could account for why alexedly ya police were so fast there. i would not be surprised to see that the alexandria police may have shot him, as well. it could have been a combination. but patrol officers routinely carry rifles. swath-like. and capital police may only have

had handguns. they would have kept this guy at bay. and alexandria police could help shoot him. >> told thhold that thought. we want to go to pete williams. he has received a statement from the congressman's office. what can you tell us? >> let me read it to you. this morning at a practice for the congressional baseball game, whit police was vot in the hip. he was transferred to mental hospital center, here in the district of columbia, where currently in stable condition. he was in good spirits and talked to his wife by telephone. he's brave to the u.s. capital police, first responders. and they ask to keep him in the thoughts and prayers. >> as you said, confirmed he was

shot in the hip. but had to go under surgery. >> stable condition, as well. >> and able to speak to his wife is good news there, pete. absolutely. those of us just tuning in, twit an extraordinary morning this morning. baseball practice in alexandria, virginia. across the river from washington, d.c. a gunman walks in. opens fire. the member of house leadership, shot in the hib. several other people were shot, as we understand it. we do not have word on their condition. the suspect himself was by pol. there were reports that he is alive. their police sources telling their reporter that the suspect

is alive and in custody. the scene is stable. it's an active scene. >> these are live pictures, as some of the lawmakers return to work. this scene outside that baseball park in alexandria, virginia. again, just over the bridge from washington, d.c. a number of lawmakers, a number of staffers live in this part of northern virginia. >> we have a piece of video to show you. this comes from our colleagues at cbs. and is reportedly a picture of steve scalise, the congressman being carried away, moments after that shooting. as we understand it, he was shot in the hip. colleagues of his were able to use a belt as a tourniquet and stem the bleeding.

he was alert and awake before entering energy. he's at med star hospital in the washington, d.c. area. able to be in stable condition and able to speak to his life. that comes into our newsroom, of congressman scalise. including -- >> senator jeff flake. >> and other members were also there and able to step in and provide aide. >> senator flake said, as he made his way to him, the congressman was shot near second base. he goes down and to get himself into the outfield. he waset way way from the him, he said he

was co-heeherent and asked for water. we know that the congressman is in stable condition. presumably in surgery as we speak. >> we have a guest with us. former secret service agent. we're just starting to put the pieces together here. many witnesses have discussed a man who came in deliberately, according to one witness, knew what he was doing. and we had a member of congress tell one of our reporters who said this was a pemrson who cam to shoot as many republicans as possible. starting to get a picture of a disturbed individual. >> we see it in a lot of scenarios and this scenario. he had a rifle, semiautomatic, as we're hearing. this person is coming with the intent not to kill one person, but many people. he did shoot multiple rounds out into the public. not just the representative, but everybody. he came with a lot of ammo.

the shootings come with the webs, not just a pistol. but the large weapons. military-grade weapons and ammo. had he not been shot by police, he likely would have done more damage. >> with folks that aren't familiar, it sounds like the moneyman had to reload? or do we know at this point? >> it depends on the weapon. we're listening to the interviews. one said there was a pause, a moment. he was able to leave and run away. that might have been a reload. a pistol can fire one round at a time. pop, pop, pop. that's what the capital police were carrying. you can switch it to a point where he fires multiple rounds. >> some lawmakers heard 50 to 60

shots. >> it's likely that's the weapon he is using. that's the weapon we see in the mass shooting attacks. it's pretty remarkable that the police were able to stop him -- from what we're hearing, with their pistols. >> stand by for me for a moment. we want to go back to kasie hunt, who is standing by for us on capitol hill. what do you have for us? >> i can tell you that the outside perimeter of the capital was locked down for a period of time. the members of congress at this baseball practice has arrived at the capitol complex. they didn't want anybody else coming and going from the building. i'm being told from our producers outside. they just spoke to do members of congress. congressmen conaway and wenstrup, who said they helped scare for the majority whip, steve scalise, after he was shot in the whip.

we have a formal statement from his office, saying he was in good spirits. he spoke to his wife and is grateful for the capital police. business here, postponed today. this place doesn't get in the full swing of measure. the mood here very dramatic. we learn more from the congressmen at the practice, we'll bring it straight for you. >> you spend a lot of time on the hill for us. you presumably know the congressman from louisiana fairly well. what can you tell us about steve scalise, the man? >> steve scalise, you know, i was at a meeting with him. the contents were off the record, not that long ago. he is a louisiana guy.

he is somebody who cares a lot about his home state. if you wan to engage him on all things new orleans, he would be more than happy to chat with you about it. he's had one of the tougher jobs in the house, this job of whip. he's in charge of wrangling all of the members to get to a place where the leadership wants them to be on complicated bills. the health care bill that was recently passed in the house, is probably the best example. that's something that you have a lot of disagreement among conservatives and more moderate members. and scalise's job is to know what everybody thinks about it. and figure out a way to get everybody on the same page. he has to be somebody that has a lot of connections. and it's a jumping-off point for bigger things in the house of representatives.

s scalise has -- he is a conservative, to speak to that part of the republican caucus. he's well-liked here. there is goodwill and concern by those on both sides of the aisle. this is somebody that has had long standing relationships for quite some time. >> at a moment like this, there is no aisle. everyone is rooting for him, as well as the two mril police officers. we know a staff member of roger williams is shot. a early earlier, we have some tape from earlier. audio from the police radio calls, that happened as this was unfolding. we want to play this for you. >> got a suspect.

225, jimmy, your location. >> there's also a victim down in the baseball field. >> that was the police scanner traffic, the radio that police use in the moments after an emergency. this unfolded, started at 7:09 in the morning. this practice goes on, to the 6:00 hour. and rand paul said this group had been practicing there for the last couple months. as i talk to the former secret service agent, that's a telling detail, there is a pattern. somebody that knows when to do harm, they know when to show up. >> you do your homework and set a plan. if they go every morning at this set of time, and political p aa

figures will be there. this is a simple attack to carry out. not all members of congress will have the same level of protection. two capital police there at the incident, were part of the detail for congressman scalise. they were able to prevent this. and the fact this individual is able to come in there, and access this environment. when you're in the work of security, this is when you get uncomfortable, when you go into public spaces and anybody can walk in. not everybody has the luxury of being a presidential detail. >> we have an interview coming into our newsroom now. congressman wenstrup at the field. he just talked to reporters at the capitol. let's listen. >> he was conscious and brave. he's under care right now.

i would assume he's in surgery right now. he was aware of where he was and what was going on. >> you watched him get shot? >> i saw he was down. and i went out to him after they had subdued the shooter. >> what was the mood like today? did you ever expect something like this happen? >> no. we were upbeat, getting ready for a game. and there was a security police. we all would have been vulnerab vulnerable. i'm sure they believed too many lives. >> congressman brad wenstrup of ohio. the two capitol hill police officers, congressman wistrom echoing their government sentiment. that they were sitting ducks. had it not been for security detail, this would have been far

more course. in situations like this, we don't have a lot about him. he's a middle-aged white guy. y beyond that, what's there was an indication something like this would happen. >> started shooting. he shot a trent kelly, our third baseman. he shot as steve scalise, our second baseman. scalise is supreme court detail. and the ill capitol hill police immediately begin -- to return fire. and alexander police, also, immediately came and begin to return fire. they shot the shooter. and the security detail saved a lot of lives. p they attacked the shooter.

the heroes are the capitol hill police, alexander police and steve scalise's security detail. >> you know what the shooter looked like? >> he was a middle-aged man. blue jeans and a blue shirt. i think he was angelo. and he had a rifle. and i think he had automatic pistol. >> can you tell us what it was like in this idyllic setting? >> i'm the manager of the team. several security people were hit. one of our staffers were hit. scalise was hit. i talked to the speaker. i talked to capitol hill police. i'm sure there will be some general statement later on. luckily, no one appeared to be killed. and again, i want to thank the security detail.

>> how long did it last? >> ten minutes. five to ten minutes. dozens, if not hundreds of shots fired. it was scary. >> did you take cover? >> of course, we did. >> where did you take cover? >> some of us in the dugout. i was in the dugout. my other son was in the batting cage. he was brave. >> my goodness. >> can you imagine, there's clockman joe barton, there with his two little boys. and they discussed how they ran for cover. he heard dozens of shots, he thought. >> five to ten minutes. >> he believes those who were shot, not shot critically. but what a horrendous situation to find one's self in this

morning. joe barton returning to the capital. and he referenced his son, jack. saying he was wearing blue jeans, blue shirt. he had a rifle. also, that the gunman had a pistol, as well. but joe barton, republican from texas, also pointing out that he is the manager of the rb team, as well. tom costello standing by with new information. tom, what do you have? >> reporter: a couple things. terry mcauliffe we're expecting to come to the scene and hear from him. and we're hearing from government sources we could have -- i'm looking at a witness coming by. pardon me for being distracted momentarily. government sources within virginia are telling us that when they originally got the call, this came out what's

called three reds and two yellows. in ems talk, that tells the significance of an injury. code red is serious. code yellow and code groo een. they had three reds and two yellows here. we expect more conversation from mcauliffe, along with the briefing from the police chief of alexandria, and the capitol hill police chief will be speaking, as two of his officers were involved in this shooting and were shot. having exchanged gunfire with the officers. guys, back to yu -- pardon me, with the suspect. exchanged gunfire with the suspect. >> right. it's our understanding, tom, isn't it, that the suspect himself was shot. we don't know when you talk about the three reds and the two yellows, the description of the injuries. what we don't know is the

suspect would have been among those listed there. >> that's direct. and we should reiterate our affiliate here, that their sources are saying he is still alive. that suspect they believe is still alive. >> we can let our viewers and listeners in, this is coming in from the university washington hospital in washington, d.c. they received two individuals. out of respect for those affected, they're not releasing more at this time. but now, starting to get the condition of those scott. scalise is in surgery. he's in stable condition. two of the other individuals who were thought are in critical condition at george washington university hospital. >> we're watching this scene, the baseball field that was a

scene of joy a few hours ago. and turning into an absolute horror as a man walks in and opens fire on m good morning, everybody. this is nbc news special report. 7:00 a.m. on the west coast, and there has been a terrible tragedy happening outside washington d.c. this morning at a baseball field in alexandria, virginia right across the river from the u.s. capitol where members of congress and their staffs were practicing for a big baseball game tomorrow. a man walked in, opened fire. witnesses say up to 50, 60 shots were heard. member of congress, congressman steve scalise, the republican whip, member of the house leadership, was shot in the hip. he is in surgery at this point hour, we understand able to speak and in good spirits. two police officers were shot. a staff member from one member of congress was shot and we understand that the gunman was also shot and is in custody.