Congressman provides new details about gun attack

AUSTIN, Texas - Congressman Roger Williams walked through the Senate Chamber, Monday morning, at the Texas Capitol still having to use crutches to get around.

His injury, he said will heal but how he got hurt is something he'll always remember.

"I don’t think I'll ever forget the sounds of the gun he was using. They said he fired 60 or 70 rounds and had 100 more in his pocket,” said Williams.

Williams was on a baseball field last week practicing for a DC charity game. As a coach he was hitting grounders to some of the players when a gunman started shooting at members of the Republican caucus ball team.

"The shooting started; boom, boom, boom, and everybody yelled, he's got a gun take cover."

Williams hurt himself diving into a dug out. He also provided new details about his aid Zack Barth who is recovering from a gunshot wound to his leg.

"He ran to the right field foul pole when the shooting started, think he could get as far away from the shooter as he could, and the shooter aimed at him 3 times and missed, and I guess hit him in the leg the 4th time and I guess Zack made his mind up the only safe place he would have would be that dug out and he ran from the right field foul pole to dug out, unbelievable amount of bravery,” said Williams.

The gunman was killed by a security detail assigned to House Majority Whip Steve Scalise; who is also a member of the ball team.

"If Steve Scalise had been sick that day, he had a meeting that day, he decided not to come to practice, and those two officers would not have been there. It would have been use against the shooter with baseball bats. So I would like to think if you have a group of Congress people, 25 people, 10 people, 12 people, Republicans, Democrats and they are in a group I would like for law enforcement to begin think more serious about more protection," said Williams.

Along with adding more security the congressman said the bipartisan show of unity seen at the ball park during the charity game last week  is something that should be seen more in the political arena.

"I just hope that we use that day, as a day to begin to think about how precious life is, that some of the things we yell and scream about in Congress are maybe not that important, and that we begin, maybe dial it down, the tone a little bit, and begin to do some things, agree to disagree, but not get violent about it,” said Williams.

Some political operatives may be tone deaf to the plea by Congressman Williams.

A political attack ad started running Sunday in a hotly contested race in Georgia. The ad claims those who cheered the shooting last week are also supporting the Democratic Party’s candidate in the election.

Williams hasn’t seen the ad but when asked about it agreed it sounds inappropriate.