the attacker is named as james hodgkinson. flyers are handed out asking the public for help, specifically in figuring out motives, acquaintances and previous whereabouts. they have also revised the number of people shot down to four including the taker who was shot and killed. otherwise congressman scalise, matt mika, and police officer crystal greiner. i should also mention that local police chief said when his officers arrived here they walked into what they called a combat situation. this is how that unfolded. >> gunshots heard on this eyewitness video rang out from behind the third base dugout. shaky cell phone video capturing the moment that witnesses say the shooter, 66-year-old james hodgkinson, opened fire shortly after 7:00 a.m. as the republican congressional baseball team, including 22 members of congress, was holding a practice. >> and i hear the big blam, i thought it was a car back firing at first. until i see the rifle barrel. and a white male taking careful aim at congressmen, staffers, whoever he could get a h

tim: hodgkinson was arrested for domestic battery in 2006, but the case was dismissed. in march, deputies responded to his property for gunshots, where he was legally using a hunting rifle for practice. but three months later and hundreds of miles away, the 66-year-old opened fire on a group of congressional republicans until two capitol hill police officer shot back and killed him. this area is still blocked all. as soon as we figure out what you know. in southern illinois, tim barber, abc 7 news. jonathan: tim, thanks. one thing we know about james the areas, one of that he frequented, a bar, a barbecue bar called porkbarrel. they remember him. >> when his picture was released , it was like a punch to the gut. guy,initely served this had spoken to him. it's crazy. jonathan: the bartender said hodgkinson was not friendly, a strange,nd a little but she had never engaged him in political conversation. this is a very quiet neighborhood. one neighbor said when he or the shooting start this morning, the first shot was fired by itself. he thought it was a construction accide

hodgkinson, who had opened fire on the players, apparently deliberately targeting the gop. six injured including congressman steve scalise, the third-ranking republican in the house of representatives, now in critical condition. the suspect now dead, had a long and public history of anti-trump and anti-republican rhetoric. the questions tonight, what exactly was his motive? and why now? the attack began shortly after 7:00 a.m. in the del ray area of alexanderd alexandria, virginia, eight miles from capitol hill. at least 20 members of congress along with their families and others were gathered at the eugene simpson stadium prepping for the charity match tomorrow night. >> i was taking groundballs at third base, jeff duncan at short, steve scalise at second -- >> reporter: the congressman said the man later identified as hodgkinson approached about players on the field. >> an individual came up to us, are those republicans or democrats? it's a little odd, 7:00 in the morning, why would you be out there? >> reporter: shortly thereafter shots rang out. >> i thought it was a co

it is of the suspect, james hodgkinson issing for any information to phone in tips. in the meantime, it would certainly appear this was a targeted assassination attempt on member of congress and goes to the very heart of the do ma democracy, back to you. >> thank you. >>> the fbi is probing into the gunman's past trying to answer the question keys what motivated him to target this field and these players? our justice correspondent pete williams has been working his sources all day and brings us late details. >> reporter: police and federal agents descended on the suburban st. louis home of james hodgkinson looking for clues about what led him to carry out the shooting, having identified him quickly they say from the i.d. he was carrying. age 66, a home inspector in bellville, illinois who allowed his license to lapse last fall. his social media profile reveals someone that spongely disliked republican policies and bit early opposed president trump. in march he wrote on facebook, trump destroyed our democracy, time to destroy trump and company. two days ago he used ob

that's where hodgkinson has been living for the last few months. sleeping there and using showers and tvs in the ymca. inside the van they found a camera, cell phone and computer that they will analyze. already via social media they saw hodgkinson was angry with president trump and republicans. this ymca member recalls seeing hodgkinson in the gym most mornings, using an exercise bike, not really to work out but to watch political news shows on its tv monitor. >> going back and forth between the three news shows, fox, msnbc, cnn, i'm watching them, too. guy on. he was clearly barking at the rmen side of the aisle. >> reporter: last sunday hodgkinson gruffly asked him to make way for an exercise bike. >> it wasn't the del ray way. hey, do you mind if i use the bike. it was like, hey, you're in my way. i need to use this bike. >> reporter: now the ymca windows bear the marks of gunfire. the y issued a statement saying hodgkinson became a member on april 4th, but that he canceled his membership on monday saying he was moving. yesterday morning they sa

hodgkinson. they were telling us that he was living out of his car right here along east monroe street right near where the evidence vehicles are now and where that ball field is. the f.b.i. says they know a lot about him but they want to know more. so they have put out this seeking informationfullyier -- seeking information flier. james t. hodgkinson, deceased. this is posted on the website. the f.b.i. wants to hear from anybody who can shed light on what the guy's motive may have been for the shooting here in alexandria. jonathan? jonathan: brad, it would be nice if they figure out why he came here in the first place. thank you for your report. this is an area that is very quiet. del ray is as bucolic as it gets. a lot of place where families want to start families because it's quiet. they never hear ambulance sirens or sirens of any kind around here. shellshocked is describing how people react after what happened. the gunfire went on what many minutes with gunfire from the capitol police and t

what are people saying about james hodgkinson? andy: well, jonathan, hodgkinson has lived here for a decade. right now his home is the scene of a large police presence from f.b.i., a.t.f. to the local authorities trying to figure out how and why this happened. so, i met with a friend of his from high school, dale walsh, who says that he is surprised to hear this but he says there is some political frustration he had from the state level and the national level that could have been a tipping point. >> it got me upset he did this. i don't know why he did thousand but aapparently in his mind this was something he had to do. andy: now i tried to speak with family here but no one would talk to me just yet. jonathan? jonathan: all right. andy. thank you very much. nc his way to illinois for more on that side of the story. meantime tonight, members of the democratic congressional baseball team also had a practice. they paused in tribute of their colleagues when they heard about what happened. now we have 7's tom roussey joining us live fr

back in illinois hodgkinson had been a volunteer for the bernie sanders campaign. senator sanders said he was sickened by the attack. >> violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society and i condemn this action in the strongest possible terms. >> so far investigators have found no connection to domestic or international terrorist groups. witnesses say hodgkinson had recently been hanging out at the ymca near the baseball field where the shooting occurred. police are asking you to report any past sightings of the subject as they try to build a full timeline. jeff pegues, cbs news, washington. >>> the last lawmaker shot in an attack, former congresswoman gabby giffords, said her heart is with the family. she also praised the capitol police who shot the gunman. giffords tweeted, i am thankful for the latest who were my protectors after i was shot and became my friends. she was shot in an assassination attempt in 2011. scott pelley asked her husband mark kelly how she's doing. >> she's good. her injury -- as people know, she was shot from about three feet away with

here's what we now know about hodgkinson himself.is 66 years old from the belleville, illinois, area. he appears to have been living out of a van here in our area for at least the past few months. a mattress and pillow and other items pulled from the back of that van we saw here yesterday in that ymca parking lot which is between the baseball field and the ymca itself. he had many interactions with other people. he got recollection of a very fateful conversation with a ymca employee. listen. >> he was curious as to who this team was that would be practicing and was told that they're a congressional team. he clearly said, is it republican or >> reporter: and yet euille said he never had a political conversation with this man at all, which makes his insight into him more valuable to the fbi and other insights, too, are being asked for throughout this time. the fbi is hoping other people recognize hodgkinson's photograph and remember any interaction with them. >> a lot of stories coming out like this. justin finch live for us in alexand

the gunman james hodgkinson, shot and killed. at this point sources tell us there are no ties to terrorism. >> i hit the dirt behind that blue plastic along with two or three other people who were there. all this is going on the gunfire is nonstop. >> dozens if not hundreds of shots fired. >> scalise's security detail and capitol hill police immediately began that the shooter was down and i ran out to see to put pressure on the wound. >> reporter: and we're back live in del ray. fbi technicians still at that third base dugout where the gunman opened fire right behind it through a fence this morning again shortly after 7:00. we have a team of reporters covering this story from every angle. we begin with our northern virginia bureau chief julie. >> reporter: we're up the street. you can see this bank of microphones here. that is where we're expecting to get an updated briefing in the next 30 minutes. because members of congress were wounded in this attack, the fbi has taken over the investigation. law enforcement officials so far n

on march 22nd this year, hodgkinson wrote "trump is a traitor. trump has destroyed our democracy. it's time to destroy trump and company." two days later neighbors called police to say hodgkinson had fired off 50 shots into the air. >> that's when brought the little kids in and called the sheriff. >> reporter: the sheriff's report says no charges were brought, because he had a valid illinois firearm owner's i.d. card. >> he said he would quit shooting and that he would actually take his gun to a gun range, where it was safer. >> reporter: a few days later hodgkinson left for washington, living out of a van in the parking lot of the alexandria, virginia, ymca just across the street from the baseball field. >> i can't believe he did this, i cannot believe. >> brian ross with us tonight. brian, they believe this man was acted alone, no accomplices? >> that's right david. as his former lawyer put it, he was a angry little man with a very big chip on his shoulder. >>> we turn next tonight to the white house, responding to the report from the washington post that president trump is now

hodgkinson today. and let me show you a photograph right now from my phone, this is from the fbi poster that was put out earlier today. this is a poster the fbi put out. they're looking for more information about this man. why he was in alexandria, why he may have wanted to open fire on these congress people here at the ballfield earlier today. we've learned quite a bit about this man in the last few hours. we know he's from illinois. we know he's been living here in alexandria since march and according to the former mayor, bill yule, he's been living out of a gym bag and staying at the ymca in alexandria since march. now, mr. minutes ago and we'll play little bit of the interview we had in a minute but he told me that this man was asking for recommendations on where he might find work, where he could eat, where he could drink, and one of the places he said he sent him to was a restaurant over on mountain vernon avenue called pork barrel restaurant. pork barrel barbecue. we spoke with a bartender earli

hodgkinson on their radar. they refused to comment. they said they will not talk about the character or nature of the case because there is a lot of speculation. how much more significance has tomorrow taken on because of the shooting? rajini: it is a moment where sports can transcend politics. we have seen people on capitol hill putting their partisan differences aside. we have seen the captains and coaches from the republican and democratic teams come together in a press conference. they want the game to go ahead tomorrow. hopefully, security pending, it will go on tomorrow, continuing the tradition of a century. jane: the very latest from that ia.oting in virgin we will provide updates and continuing coverage of the ongoing tragedy in london with the death toll is expected to rise as a result of a devastating blaze at a city tower block. i am jane o'brien. thank you for watching. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation and kovler foundation, purs

hodgkinson was born and raised here, one of three children. he married and lived in town with his wife. he ran a home inspection business until last year when he lost his license, and, according to the local sheriff, richard watson, he had a record of damaging property. >> if he gave us some kind of indication that, you know, he was mental, if he was out there target practicing for some other reason, then we'd have looked further. >> reporter: politically active. >> the 1% are just not giving a damn. >> reporter: he was supporter and volunteer for senator bernie sanders in 2016, and he was just as politically active online as he was in person inch a 2015 facebook post, hodgkinson shared a political cartoon about congressman steve scalise, saying, "here's a republican that should lose his job, but they gave him a raise instead." he also wrote a slew of letters to the editor of his local paper, "the "belleville news-democrat"." i have never said "life sucks," only the policies of the republicans. acquaintances described him as stub been and opin

thinks hodgkinson may have been iving in.hey believe that he has been in the alexandria area since march. odck in illinois, hodgkinson had been a volunteer for the bernie canders campaign. doday senator sanders said that he was sickened by the attack. >> violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society, and i can condemn this action in the strongest possible terms. >> reporter: so far, scott, investigators have found no omnnection to domestic and teternational terror groups. witnesses say hodgkinson had recently been hanging out at the y.m.c.a., which is near the baseball field. tonight, police are asking the public to report any past sghtings of the suspect as they try to build a full timeline. >> pelley: jeff pegues, thanks. asrgaret brennan has the reaction at the white house. >> reporter: an often-polarizing president delivered a message of unity. >> everyone on that field is a public servant-- our courageous police, our congressional aides who work so tirelessly behind the scenes with enormous devotion, and our dedica

back in illinois, hodgkinson had been a volunteer for the bernie sanders campaign.ay, senator sanders said that he was sickened by the attack. >> violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society, and i condemn this action in the strongest possible terms. >>> each year, more than 90,000 99.9% of bacteria s without any harsh chemical residue. lysol. what it takes to protect. daughter: uh oh. irreplaceable monkey protection. detergent alone doesn't kill bacteria, but adding new lysol laundry sanitizer kills 99.9% of bacteria with 0% bleach. lysol. what it takes to protect. >>> each year, more than 90,000 americans are diagnosed with colon cancer, and though it's often deadly, it is treatable. and there are more than a million survivors here in the united states. two new studies show how diet and exercise can help colon cancer survivors stay cancer free. here's dr. jon lapook. >> reporter: five years ago, dave strong and his wife mary decided to get in shape. they changed their diet and hit the gym five days a week. after turning 50 last year, strong had his first co

they want to find out as much as possible about james hodgkinson. now as news4 was first to reported to we know he's been in the alexandria community for some months. i even had a benign interaction with him of mine own a couple weeks ago at the alexandria ymca that's just across from this ballpark. we learned at the briefing last hour that the his home in belleville, illinois in march and traveled here to alexandria. they don't know yet whether he made any stops along the way. we've learned he come to the ymca in the morning between 7:00 and 8:00 not really to work out but to take a shower there and then he would usually set up his laptop at the tables in the lobby. the former mayor bill yule is one who had repeated conversations with hodgkinson at the ymca even sharing information with him about a possible job opening. the former mayor tells me he had never heard hodgkinson make any controversial political statements or express any hatred toward republicans but as alexandria's residents and others who had interactions that is who the fbi now wants

police shot and killed hodgkinson. and nbc's justice correspondent pete williams reports on the concerning list that hodgkinson wrote down. hodgkinshispocket. according to officials briefed on the fbi investigation, the list included trent franks of arizona, jeff duncan of south carolina and mo brooks of alabama along with a few others and officials. adding to the uncertainty about the list, franks was not on the team. congressman duncan says only kinson talked to him during wednesday's practice. >> he asked me if this team was the republican or democrat team practicing. i responded that it was the republican team practicing and he proceeded to shoot republicans. >> reporter: investigators have anything yet to find hodgkinson had a plan in mind. he told his wife earlier this week he was heading back to illinois and canceled his membership in the ymca the day before the shooting and talked to a local garage his van ready. ct >> that was pete williamst from the shooting is waiting to be interviewed by the fbi. the manage

he's identified at james hodgkinson of bellville, illinois. his social media postings are filled with horrendous ant trump rants and senator bernie sanders learned that the shooter volunteered on his presidential campaign. sanders called the shootings a despicable act. president trump issued a call for unity saying, quote, we all can agree we're blessed to be americans, and added we are strongest when we're united and when we work together for the common good. that echoed by the house speaker paul ryan and the minority leader nancy pelosi who both made very emotional appeals for harmony. i'll talk to a witness and survivor. republican congressman mike bishop michigan. he was there on field and our correspondents, specialists and guests, they are standing by with full coverage of the day's top stories. we have more information coming in right now on the shocking attack. i want to quickly go over to cnn's brian todd, i should say, over at medstar washington hospital center. brian, what are you learning? >> reporter: wolf, tonight congressman ste

the fbi says they still need more information on hodgkinson's state of mind. >> to the

. >> reporter: we are learning more about the james hodgkinson whose life was start to unravel. his wife tells us he left for alexandria, virginia, two month as go without work. and investigators looking at social media and a cartoon, critical of steve scalise among the four shooting victims. president trump visiting the hospital wednesday. before the shooting began one congressman was approached by a stranger now believed to be hodgkinson. >> i did have an interact, with some one in the parking lot who asked me if team practicing was democrat, or republican? i told him they were republicans. he said, okay, thanks. moments later the gunshots, pierced the air. rand paul duck behind a tree. >> we had no arms. all we had was bats. >> others scurrying to the dugout. capitol hill police returned fire. >> not only chaotic. >> joe barton's 10-year-old son was on the field. members tried to protect him in >> he had 25 dads. everybody out there was, was looking out for him. not just me. >> partisanship cast aside in shared disbelief. >> we are united in our shock, we are united in our an

. >> reporter: what might have provoked james hodgkinson to pick up a loaded rifle, come out to this baseball field and begin firing. there's a man who works nearby who wishes he had a clue about what was going to happen. >> it was way over the top. it made me step back. >> reporter: chris doberman had a disturbing conversation with james hodgkinson the morning before the illinois man opened fire on congressmen practicing at the baseball field a few blocks away. >> i wish there was some more clue that i would have had that stopped this. i kind of feel just strange. >> reporter: doberman is the manager and a mechanic at del rey service center. around 10:00 a.m. tuesday, hodgkinson asked doberman to check the air pressure >> he brought up that he owned a home pest control service. and i said, oh, that's nice. i would like to work for myself. i work six days a week. and he just came out with trump. that trump, that expletive, he used a bad word describing trump, and he said this guy has ruined our democracy. he's worst. he's the biggest [ expletive ] that we have had in this country. >>

the shooter identified as james hodgkinson was killed. president trump breaking that news just before 12:00 noon today. the shooting happened as the republican congressman baseball team was repairing for tomorrow's annual charity game. that game will go on as scheduled. i'm nancy chen live on capitol hill. we'll have reaction from the house floor in a moment. jonathan: i'm jonathan elias in the del ray community of alexandria. behind me is the simpson park that it played out. there is crime scene tape blocking it off. f.b.i. officers are putting up markers where every shell casings is found to retrace the steps of the shooter and the capitol police officers who were brave enough to get out and run toward him and engage in a gunfight with him. when you hear the dispatch calls that went out after 7:00 this morning, it puts a chill down your spine. have a >> receiving shots being fired and there are people running, possibly victims involved. jonathan: stunning scanner traffic detailing moments of chaos. >> on the baseball field. there is als

hodgkinson. the fbi is now investigating the social media posts. one calling for president trump's destruction, for example. cnn's jessica schneider is digging deeper into his background. well-documented hatred of president trump and republicans. >> right. we know the gunman, he spent significant time on his laptop computer over the last two months near the scene of the crime typing up messages of hate. the gunman came to alexandria in march and filled his facebook feed with political rants. in public facebook postings james t. hodgkinson repeatedly railed against republicans calling them stupid, writing that the party hated americans and is full of smoke and mirrors. in this post saying republicans are the taliban of the usa. and in march, linked to a change.org petition. trump is a traitor, it's time to destroy trump and company. in 2015 he posted a cartoon about congressman steve scalise, the lawmaker he shot this morning, commenting here's a republican that should lose his job, but they gave him a raise. the gunman's profile picture, bernie san

back in the illinois, hodgkinson ran a home inspection business. police say they were concerned about the way he was shooting his gun outside. >> even though it is legal to shoot on his property, we don't want anybody getting hurt. so we went over there and talked to him, explained to him, hey, the rifle you're shooting could ricochet off something. >> reporter: investigative effort going on. by the time this is over, they're going to know everything about james hodgkinson. favorite color, what he eats for breakfast and perhaps what him do what he did >> reporter: all right. pat collins with more on the gunman. thank you. we should also tell you a witness spoke with us this morning and said while he was firing, he said absolutely nothing and the gunfire went on for minutes, some say as many as seven to ten minutes. some have said as many as 50 bullets. throughout the evening we're going to be hearing from many more members of congress. we'll hear from virginia's governor calling those police officers, those kprol police officers heros. had they not

the fbi is seeking more information on james hodgkinson and his motive. agents searched his belleville, illinois, home for evidence yesterday. authorities believe hodgkinson had not lived there since march when he arrived in virginia. dean reynolds is outside his house in belleville about 700 miles from where he opened fire on the baseball field. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. those who knew the man who lived in this house behind me say he was unhappy with the political direction of the country, but they never expected him to turn violent. known to many as tom, james hodgkinson grew up in belleville, graduating from a local high school in 1968. he lived in this house with his wife and ran a home inspection business until his license expired last november. >> i'm very surprised. >> reporter: ray page knew him for 30 years. >> i never have seen the man violent since i've known him. >> reporter: deeply engaged in politics, hodgkinson did not keep his views secret. >> 99% are getting pushed around and the 1% are just not giving a damn. >> reporter:

now at the home of hodgkinson. but first, a witness described what he saw. >> no one shows up at a baseball field with an ak-47 accidental. [ america by simon and garfunkel ] ♪ let us be lovers, we'll marry our fortunes together ♪ ♪ i've got some real estate here in my bag ♪ ♪ so i looked at the scenery. ♪ she read her magazine... the all-new volkswagen atlas. covered from coast to coast with america's best bumper-to-bumper limited warranty. ykeep you sidelined.ng that's why you drink ensure. with 9 grams of protein and 26 vitamins and minerals. for the strength and energy to get back to doing... ...what you love. ensure. always be you. i hafor my belly painking overand constipation.ucts i've had it up to here! it's been month after month of fiber. weeks taking probiotics! days and nights of laxatives, only to have my symptoms return. (vo) if you've had enough, tell your doctor what you've tried and how long you've been at it. linzess works differently from laxatives. linzess treats adults with ibs with constipatio

the 1% are not giving a damn. >> reporter: the congressman from hodgkinson's district said he called about 10 times but never threatened. >> they were disagreeing with my position but there were not any threats or any red flags that were sent up. >> reporter: in late march, sheriff's deputies responded to calls from residents that said he was shooting in the woods near his belleville house. >> we went over and talked to him. he was very nice, i'll take it to a range somewhere that's saver and that was the end of it. >> reporter: officials said he'd actually been in suburban d.c. for the past six weeks and frequented a virginia ymca directly across the street from the ballpark. >> nbc pete williams there. >>> new developments in the russian investigation. the "washington post" reports special counsel robert mueller is now examining whether president trump attempted obstruction of justice. and including an interview of national intelligence dan coats and mike rogers as well as former nsa director the "wall street journal" explains may have documented a significant phone call between ro

hodgkinson once called president trump a traitor online. called terminate the republican party. the fbi believes he had been in the washington area since march. and was living out of a van. he was familiar to the staff at a bar a few blocks away from the shooting scene. >> he would come in and -- watch golf a lot. middle of the day, typically. and he would always come in by himself. the first time i met him he was a little bit odd. he would -- just sit there by himself real quiet. struck me as a very introverted person. and, rubbed me the wrong way. >> hodgkinson had a series of run ins with the law. two months ago he received a warning from police at his home in illinois after neighbors complained about him firing dozens of shots. >> despite at take. the house will be in session. >> victims who were wounded are starting their long recovery journey. mary bruce tells us more about them. >> reporter: congressman, steve scalise was looking forward to the big game. >> couldn't make my high school team. kind of bloomed later in life. >> reporter

back in illinois, hodgkinson had been a volunteer for the bernie sanders campaign.oday, senator sanders said that he was sickened by the attack. >> violence of any unacceptable in our society, and i condemn this action in the strongest possible terms. the other side of this... is they can be removed... easily. spray and wash's... powerful formula... removes over 100 stains. spray and wash. better on over 100 stains. not all fish oil supplements provide the same omega-3 power. megared advanced triple absorption is absorbed three times better. so one softgel has more omega-3 power than three standard fish oil pills. megared advanced triple absorption. you could start your search at the all-new carfax.com that might help. show me the carfax? now the car you want and the history you need show me used minivans with no reported accidents. boom. love it. [struggles] show me the carfax. start your used car search and get free carfax reports at the all-new carfax.com. allure best of beauty and marie claire's most wanted. eyes show emotion,

he's identified as james hodgkinson of illinois.uthorities say the man opened fire on republican congressmen practicing for a charity baseball game. it happened this morning. hodgkinson was shot and killed by police but not before wounding five people. among the five are high ranking congressman steve scalise, who is in critical condition. our live coverage of this major story continues. >> george spencer has been digging into the suspect's past, the social media footprint. he's in the breaking news center now. >> we are peeszing together more and more about this suspect. the gunman is 66-year-old james hodgkinson is from illinois. we have confirmed that he has been arrested several times in the past. police arrested him for domestic battery, battery and firing his gun. he did have a valid license for an illinois firearm when police showed up at his house back in march for a report of shots fired. according to his facebook page, he recently h lly ran a home inspection business. he belong ed ed to a facebook g called terminate the re

we're receiving new insight into the mind of james hodgkinson. he's the man who opened fire on republican lawmakers practicing for the congressional baseball game in alexandria. the fbi just wrapped up a news conference on their findings into the investigation. peggy fox is live at our field house with more. >> reporter: andrea, james thomas hodgkinson was a very troubled person, and many things in his life were going badly, according to the fbi. in march, he left his wife and home in illinois and came to washington. he never told anyone back home why. but his marriage was falling apart, he was unemployed, and he was running out of money. was on prescription medication, but the fbi would not say what kind. he had posted many anti- republican rants, but never made any threats. he had six letters to congress. the fbi would not say who they were, or if any of them were on hodgkinson opened fire. he visited the dirkson senate office building, and the office of senator bernie sanders. we don't know if he ever met sanders. he took a lot of pictures in

louis home of james hodgkinson looking for clues about what led him to carry out the shooting, having identified him quickly they say from the i.d. he was carrying. age 66, a home inspector who allowed his license to lapse last fall. his social media profile reveals someone who strongly disliked republican policies and bitterly opposed president trump. in march he wrote on facebook trump destroyed our democracy, time to destroy trump and company. two days ago he used obscenities to describe this week's white house cabinet meeting. a year and a half ago he wrote i hate republicans and everything they stand for. a family member said hodgkinson was distraught over last year's election and worked as a volunteer for the bernie sanders campaign. >> i am sickened by this despicable act, and let me be as clear as i can be. violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society. >> reporter: hodgkinson was a prolific letter writer to his local paper. in 2011 he described republicans as full of hate. during 2011's occupy wall street demonstrations he talked to the st. louis fox affiliate. >> 99% a

hodgkinson apparently had anger management issues but wasn't mentally ill. he fired off more than 60 rounds from a rifle an .9 mm before being caught by police. we've asked the fbi what they learned and whether that could

hodgkinson had a valid firearms owner id card. he was allowed to keep his weapon and told don't do that again. adam: jeff, i know that -- i believe there's a man who identifies himself as a lawyer who once represented hodgkinson, who called him an angry little man, but when you talk about the rhetoric, the anger seems to have escalated especially in the facebook posts. there's the one about president trump, right? >> reporter: yes, the rhetoric and the letters to the editor which was the precursor of facebook, maybe. not quite as angry, but got anger and angrier, trump is a traitor, trump destroyed our democracy, it is time to destroy trump and company. he joined groups called terminate the republican party and the road to hell is paved with republicans. but i tell if you you look on facebook now you find a lot more anti-trump, stronger anti-trump rhetoric than he had on his facebook page. looking back in hindsight, you say gee, maybe there was something there, but if you look at it without the hindsight, there's a lot of people t

hodgkinson from belleville, illinois. fox news chief intelligence correspondent catherine herridge with me now on the details of the shooter. >> reporter: thank you, liz, agents are actively investigating hodgkinson, associates, social media posts and potential motivation, the atf is running a trace on two weapons to include a rifle as well as a handgun. a well-placed source identifies the suspect as 66-year-old james t. hodgkinson of illinois, a facebook page includes photos of bernie sanders as well as anti-trump rhetoric. we are not going to show you the posts at fox news but describe them. one reads in part trump is a traitor, trump has destroyed our democracy. it's time to destroy trump and company. meantime, a local illinois newspaper is reporting that the suspect sent letters to the editor about five years ago railing against republicans and tax policies. in the august 2012 letter it reads in part i have never said life sucks, only the policies of the republicans. today a man who only gave the name dale claimed to

james hodgkinson. we have done some digging into what we know about james hodgkinson. he's died as a result of his injuries. what have you learned about him? >> there's a 2006 charge, no federal cases that we've found against james hodgkinson. in his 60s, from illinois. it's also worth remembering when you speak to people outf officials that a lot of the threats against the u.s. congress, a lot of the white house fence jumpers are from far away from here. the man charged with the shooting in the visitor's center was far away from the midwest. people who have been arrested at the white house fence have come as far away as washington state. james hodgkinson is from illinois. and the president reporting to the world that he's died from his injuries sustained this morning. >> i want to point out that the president said that congressman scalise and the two officers shot this morning are all in stable condition and noted that two others have been wounded as well at the baseball field this morning. >> a noticeable difference in the president's demeanor. a very somber presiden

so the man response will for today's shooting spree, james hodgkinson, he died earlier today after capitol hill police officers wounded him. he targeted republican members while they were actually practicing for an annual congressional baseball game, and according to reports, hodgkinson is an illinois resident and a

poring over the life of james hodgkinson- to to open fire yesterday. hodgkinson is not from here. he is from illinois - a city called belleville. our tim barber flew there immediately. and has more on his background. on capitol hill-- lawmakers on both sides of the are coming together in the wake of yesterday's attack. leaders from both parties delivering a clear message, denouncing violence and wishing the victims a speedy recovery. complete coverage of the baseball ambush continues coming up. for breaking news right to your phone. sign up for alerts right now -- at wjla.com slash text. also developing now on capitol hill-- a bombshell report. president trump is now reportedly under investigation for possible obstruction of justice. thats's according to the washington post. it's reporting that justice department special counsel robert mueller is interviewing three top intelligence officials as part of the probe as early as this week. the washington post's report comes the same week chris ruddy, a friend of president trump, floated the possibility that the president would fire mue