Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., revealed on Facebook Wednesday evening that the deceased gunman behind a shooting of Republican lawmakers had contacted his office on 10 occasions since last June.
“Mr. Hodgkinson contacted my office 10 times, beginning in June 2016 and continuing through May of this year,” Bost wrote about the suspected shooter, 66-year-old James Hodgkinson.
“While he continually expressed his opposition to the Republican agenda in Congress, the correspondence never appeared threatening or raised concerns that anger would turn to physical action,” Bost continued. “Had we any indication that Mr. Hodgkinson posed a threat to anyone’s safety, we would have taken the appropriate steps to alert U.S. Capitol Police immediately.”
An FBI spokesman told reporters Wednesday evening that Hodgkinson had resided in Belleville, Ill., until March when he moved to Alexandria, Va., where he resided in his vehicle, a white cargo van.
As a Belleville resident, Hodgkinson would have been represented by Bost, whose constituency is the 12th congressional district of Illinois.
Four people were shot Wednesday morning while practicing at a field in Alexandria for the upcoming congressional baseball game.
