5 things to know about 2024 presidential candidate Ron DeSantis

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Friday, September 29, 2023

Police put up tape to clear journalists from the outfield area of a baseball field where shots were fired during a congressional baseball practice, wounding House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA), in Alexandria, Virginia, on June 14, 2017. | Photo: REUTERS/Mike Theiler)

He escaped the 2017 congressional baseball game shooting

DeSantis was one of several congressional Republicans practicing for the annual Congressional Baseball Game in Alexandria, Virginia, in 2017 when a gunman opened fire, wounding then-House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La. He recounted his experience in an interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos.

"I was actually fielding ground balls at third. Jeff Duncan from South Carolina was at short[stop], Steve was at second base. We had all hit already. Other guys were hitting, and Jeff and I just looked at each other … because D.C. traffic's terrible, and we said, 'Hey, let's just get on the road so we can get back to the Hill,'" he said. "That was probably five minutes, 10 minutes before the shots started."

DeSantis described his personal interaction with the shooter, telling Stephanopoulos, "As we went to our car, there was an individual, middle-aged, caucasian male that asked us … 'is that Republicans'" on the field. After DeSantis and Duncan indicated that it was "Republicans" on the field, the then-U.S. Congressman asserted that "he kind of turned and went towards the field."

Additionally, DeSantis described the man's behavior as "weird," adding, "We were in the car, and he kind of like walked over to us and asked us that."

DeSantis and Duncan had left the area by the time the shooting began. After hearing about what happened, the two talked on the phone and determined, "We've got to pass along that description."

DeSantis stressed that the field was "in the community" and that lawmakers frequently ran into people who "walk their dogs" when they practiced for the congressional baseball game, indicating that running into civilians was not uncommon. He shared his gratitude that Scalise was on the field.

"As a member of the leadership, he gets a security detail. ... If he was not there, then you would have had all the staff and Congress members, and there would not have been anybody on scene that could have responded."