Another story to emerge from the infamous shooting on Wednesday morning that left a congressman in critical condition surrounds a husband and wife in Alexandria, Virginia, who helped members of Congress after they fled the scene of the shooting.
The good samaritans — Ben Childers and his wife Elizabeth — live on the second floor of an apartment building that overlooks the baseball field where authorities say James T. Hodgkinson, 66, of Belleville, Illinois, reportedly opened fire on Republican congressman and their staffers.
After the shooting began, Ben Childers, 31, rushed outside to try and flag down some of the congressmen who were fleeing across the street, proceeding to usher them to safety inside of his apartment.
Describing the politicians as being “in shock,” he and Elizabeth said they gave the officials their cell phone so that they could call their loved ones. “All they wanted to do was talk to their families,” Ben said.
The impact of the shooting was still working its way through their systems, as Elizabeth said they were visibly shaken.
“Their hands were clearly shaking,” she said.
Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) confirmed to CNN that a good samaritan had let him and his peers into their apartment so they could call 911 and their families.
As Faithwire previously reported, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) was among the five injured during the shooting. Scalise was shot in the hip and remains in critical condition; he had surgery on Wednesday, but is expected to need additional procedures to fix associated issues and complications due to the wound.
Speaking on MSNBC on Wednesday, Sen. Rand Paul reportedly praised the courage of the Capitol Police officers Crystal Griner and David Bailey who were there guarding Rep. Steve Scalise, saying that their efforts neutralized the threat.