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Article snippet: WASHINGTON — James T. Hodgkinson, the man who the police say opened fire on a crowd of congressional Republicans on Wednesday, began his day at the nearby Y.M.C.A. at 5:31 a.m. and appeared to go about his normal morning routine before unleashing the attack, the Y.M.C.A. said Thursday. An hour and a half later, just after 7:09 a.m., the police in Alexandria, Va., responded to a call alerting them to gunfire outside the Y.M.C.A. Mr. Hodgkinson’s spray of bullets struck four people, the police said, including Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the House majority whip, who had been taking part in a morning baseball practice with other congressional Republicans in an adjacent park. Mr. Scalise was severely wounded. After he underwent a second surgery for internal injuries and a broken leg, doctors said late Thursday that his condition was critical but improving. He is expected to remain in the hospital “for some time,” according to a hospital statement. Mr. Hodgkinson, 66, died in a firefight with police officers. The authorities said he was armed with a handgun and an SKS 7.62-millimeter semiautomatic assault rifle. Both weapons were bought in March, officials said, and Mr. Hodgkinson held a valid firearm owner’s identification card issued by the Illinois State Police. The SKS weapon that the authorities said was used in the attack is a semiautomatic infantry rifle designed in the 1940s in the Soviet Union and reproduced in China and a handful of nations for... Link to the full article to read more