The shooter who attacked a GOP baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia, last week carried a list with the names of six members of Congress, the FBI said Wednesday, adding that the incident had no connection to terrorism and the shooter acted alone.
The man who carried out the attack, James Hodgkinson, 66, from Belleville, Illinois, was shot dead by police after opening fire, authorities have said. Tim Slater, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Washington field office, said Hodgkinson was known to have “an anger management problem.” Hodgkinson maintained a social media presence that was pro-Bernie Sanders and anti-Republican.
The investigation into the attack is still active as police continue to analyze evidence from the scene, authorities said. Slater, who didn’t release the names on the list or say which party they belonged to, said the list didn’t provide any additional context but said Hodgkinson had researched two of the members online.
An FBI news release said Hodgkinson took multiple photographs of Eugene Simpson Stadium Park, the scene of the shooting, in mid-April. At this point in the investigation, the FBI does not believe that these photographs represented surveillance of intended targets, though the release said the investigation into Hodgkinson’s recent activities was ongoing.
Last week, a law enforcement source told CNN that a list of names — including some Republican members of Congress — was found with the Alexandria shooter. Rep. Mo Brooks, who was on the list and present at the practice, was unharmed by the shooting.
The law enforcement source told CNN at the time it wasn’t clear it was an assassination list. None of the victims injured in the attack were on the list, the law enforcement source said.
House Majority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise was the only congressman injured in the shooting.
The FBI said that evidence collected so far suggests Hodgkinson used two weapons, a 7.62 mm caliber SKS rifle, purchased in March 2003, and a 9 mm handgun, purchased in November 2016. Both firearms were purchased legally through federal firearms licenses. Hodgkinson’s previous record only included a charge of domestic battery in 2006. Prior to traveling to Washington, local law enforcement in Belleville had been called to Hodgkinson’s residence due to complaints of target practice he was conducting on his property, the FBI said.
The FBI processed property found in three locations and on Hodgkinson’s person, according to the FBI news release, which included his vehicle at the scene, a storage unit he began renting in mid-April and his home in Belleville. An activity log at the storage facility revealed that he had visited his unit more than 43 times between April and June. The FBI found a laptop computer, more than 200 rounds of ammunition, a receipt for the November 2016 gun purchase and additional SKS rifle components inside the unit.
