Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise’s condition has been upgraded from “critical” to “serious” as he is showing signs of improvement, according to the hospital where he is being treated for a gunshot in the hip.
“He is more responsive, and is speaking with his loved ones,” MedStar Washington Hospital Center stated in a release on behalf of Scalise’s family.
Scalise was shot on June 14 during a congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia, by James Hodgkinson, a 66-year-old of Belleville, Illinois. Hodgkinson targeted Republican congressmen with rifle fire, wounding Scalise and four others (two Capitol Police officers and two congressional staffers).
Scalise, the third-ranking Republican in the House, underwent three surgeries, the latest one on Saturday.
He was shot in the left hip. “The round fragmented, and caused significant damage to bones, internal organs and blood vessels,” said Dr. Jack Sava, Director of Trauma at the hospital, in a June 16 statement.
He was transported to the hospital by a helicopter and arrived in shock. “[H]e was in critical condition and received many units of blood transfusion for ongoing hemorrhage from multiple locations,” Sava said.
At least eight doctors treated Scalise’s injuries.
The gunman was shot and killed by Capitol Police officers on scene, but not before one of them, Special Agent Crystal Griner, suffered a gunshot to his ankle. He was still hospitalized on Friday in good condition.
The Capitol Police was only present because Scalise holds the leadership position of the House Majority Whip and is assigned a security detail.
Dr. Sava thanked the officers for their “outstanding life-saving response.”
Scalise’s family expressed appreciation for “the outpouring of thoughts and prayers,” the hospital stated.
