House Majority Whip Steve Scalise is in “fair” condition as he continues to heal from his gunshot wounds, a hospital statement said Wednesday.
The Louisiana Republican arrived at the hospital last week in critical condition after being injured in the shooting that interrupted a congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia.
Now, the third-ranking Republican in the House “continues to make good progress. He is now listed in fair condition and is beginning an extended period of healing and rehabilitation,” according to the statement from the MedStar Washington Hospital Center, where Scalise is being treated.
When Scalise was shot last week, a bullet punctured his left hip and traveled across to the other hip, causing “substantial damage” to his blood vessels, bones and some internal organs, Dr. Jack Sava, who treated Scalise at the hospital, said Friday.
Scalise arrived at the hospital “with an imminent risk of death,” Sava said. However, after multiple surgeries, Scalise showed signs of improvement, and by Saturday, his condition was upgraded from critical to serious.
Scalise faces a long road of rehabilitation, but doctors “fully expect to him to walk … and hopefully run” in the future, Sava said.
During the congressional baseball practice June 14, a gunman injured Scalise, congressional staffer Zach Barth, Tyson Foods lobbyist Matt Mika and two members of the Capitol Police force, Crystal Griner and David Bailey.
Law enforcement officials identified the shooter as 66-year-old James Hodgkinson of Belleville, Illinois, who later died from injuries sustained during a shootout with police on the scene.
House Chief Deputy Whip Patrick McHenry organized a blood drive Tuesday in support of Scalise and the other victims of last week’s shooting.
Among those participating were Vice President Mike Pence and California Rep. Pete Aguilar.
