TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. That's what Congressman Bob Latta of Bowling Green said about Wednesday morning's tragedy.
Rep. Latta was just with Majority Whip Steve Scalise on Monday night, just two days before Scalise was shot during a practice for the Congressional charity baseball game.
Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio played in the game many times over the years, as a center fielder and lead-off man for the Democrats. He was stunned by what happened on Wednesday morning.
"The last thing you'd think about, shagging flies in center field or rounding second on a single to right and you're going to third, the last thing you think about is that somebody would take a shot at you so I can't imagine what that must have been like on the field," Senator Brown said.
Congressman Steve Scalise is no stranger to Toledo. He and Rep. Latta were Jerry Anderson's guests on Leading Edge on September 7, 2014, talking about health care, border security, and their friendship.
"I understand they have offices next to each other. They've served about the same time. They sit next to each other in committee," Anderson said at the end of the interview.
Latta remembered it as a "great conversation" and said today that he and Scalise have stayed good friends.
"Steve is a very outgoing guy and very personable and has a lot of close friends around here on both sides of the aisle. But I think when you have a tragedy like this, I think it brings us all back together again and makes us all remember that we're all Americans," Latta said from Washington, D.C. over the phone.
Latta said he thinks the officers on the scene prevented "a terrible number of deaths."
Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur of Toledo released a statement about the incident this morning.
"My thoughts and prayers are with Congressman Scalise and the staff who were injured during today's tragic act of violence. Thank you to the brave first responders and may the angels of mercy heal our wounded colleagues, their staff and others who were harmed. Let the power of civil order and peace, not violence, rise across our nation."
Senator Rob Portman of Ohio sent a Tweet, saying, "The @CapitolPolice put their lives on the line every day to protect the public & members of Congress. They are true heroes."
Senator Brown added, "We all are aware of how, you know, how life sometimes hands by a thread and Congressman Latta is right about that, that we stand together whenever there is tragedy, as we hope the whole country would."
