Following the barbaric shooting aimed at Republicans this morning in Alexandria, Virginia, Senator Rand Paul, who was at the scene, praised Capitol Police for preventing hundreds of deaths by promptly responding and engaging the gunman, whom it appears was an unhinged leftist.
Paul said that the quick response of officers on the scene at the Congressional baseball practice prevented a serious incident from turning into an all out “massacre.”
Witness Sen. @RandPaul: "Nobody would have survived … it would have been a massacre" if not for the Capitol Police https://t.co/eJmDQivPff
— New Day (@NewDay) June 14, 2017
“I can tell you, that I think with absolute certainty, nobody would have survived without the Capitol Hill Police.” Paul told CNN.
“They saved everybody’s life. Incredibly brave and deserve everyone’s praise, because, with this guy, who knows what his — how heavily armed he was, but nobody else had a weapon.” Paul added.
“So, he was just killing everyone — he would have. … They deserve our gratitude for saving — it would have been a massacre without them.” the Senator urged.
Paul, who managed to get behind a tree, said he was in the batting cage when the carnage unfolded, describing it as “a killing field”.
Describing the scene, the Senator said that Rep. Steve Scalise, the third-ranking Republican in GOP leadership, was “shot but moving, and he’s trying to drag himself through the dirt out into the outfield.”
Breaking: Senator Rand Paul describes shooting scene https://t.co/wMTL3i1OPG
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) June 14, 2017
“If Scalise wouldn’t have been on the team — unfortunately he was hit and I hope he does well — but also by him being there it probably saved everybody else’s life because if you don’t have a leadership person there, there would have been so security there,” Paul said.
Paul said that he also witnessed further shots hitting the ground, aimed at aides who were trying to lay low in right field.
“They’re trying to make a difficult decision, ‘Do we lay here, stay low and hope he doesn’t hit us?’ … or does the shooter just advance and come closer and shoot you. So you have to make a decision at some point whether to stay or run,” Paul said.
Paul said he couldn’t get a visual on the gunman from where he was, but noted that he believes the shooter was reloading and firing off rounds from what sounded like an AR-15.
The Senator told Fox news that he and others at the scene were like “sitting ducks”.
The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today!