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Rep. Scalise Released From Hospital 6 Weeks After Shooting

By Merrit Kennedy

Published July 26, 2017 at 1:07 PM EDT

House Republican whip Steve Scalise was the most seriously wounded of the four people hit by gunfire in the attack at a baseball field in Alexandria, Va., in June.

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, who was shot during a congressional baseball practice six weeks ago, has been discharged from a Washington, D.C., hospital and is beginning a period of intensive rehabilitation.

"He is in good spirits and is looking forward to his return to work once he completes rehabilitation," MedStar Washington Hospital Center said in a statement.

The hospital described the gunshot wound as "life-threatening." The Louisiana Republican has gone through multiple surgeries, most recently on July 13, "for the management of deep tissue infection related to his bullet wounds."

As NPR's Camila Domonoske reported:

"In the days immediately after the shooting, Scalise was in critical condition; a bullet wound to his hip that caused 'significant damage' to bones, organs and blood vessels. After several surgeries and weeks of progress, his condition was upgraded to fair and he was moved out of intensive care.

"But Scalise was moved back into the intensive care unit of MedStar Washington Hospital Center [on July 5] because of an infection. He underwent one surgery on July 6 and was described by the hospital as being in 'serious' condition."

Scalise was the most seriously wounded of the four people hit by gunfire in the attack at a baseball field in Alexandria, Va. As we reported, gunman James T. Hodgkinson was killed by police after he fired more than 60 shots at GOP legislators, staffers and police.

NPR's Miles Parks wrote a profile of Scalise, the third-highest-ranking member of the House of Representatives:

"A highly popular politician in Louisiana, Scalise, 51, represents the state's 1st Congressional District. He was elected in 2008 in a special election to replace Bobby Jindal, who had just been elected governor.

"Since then, Scalise has always gotten more than 65 percent of the vote in primaries, avoiding runoff elections, the New Orleans Times-Picayune has reported. In November, he garnered 75 percent of the votes in his district."