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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Did the FBI label the death of the Congressional baseball shooting gunman a ‘suicide by cop’?

By Austin Tannenbaum
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YES

In 2017, 66-year-old James Hodgkinson opened fire on Congressional Republicans practicing for an annual baseball match against Democrats. Hodgkinson shot and seriously wounded GOP Whip Steve Scalise, and the Capitol Police killed Hodgkinson. Politico recently reported that lawmakers were privately informed that the FBI ruled Hodgkinson’s death a “suicide by cop,” meaning Hodgkinson perpetrated the act with the intention of getting killed.

Some lawmakers objected to the ruling, claiming the attack was politically motivated. The FBI previously made note of “anti-Republican views” on Hodgkinson's social media and a witness account of Hodgkinson asking a lawmaker if the Democrats or the Republicans were practicing the morning of the shooting.

Separately, the FBI reported that “you could tell things were not going well” in Hodgkinson’s life at the time.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Politico Lawmakers reveal—and dispute—FBI conclusion about 2017 baseball field shooting
FBI Law enforcement shares findings of the investigation into the June 14 Alexandria, Virginia, shooting
US News FBI: Gunman who shot congressman had no target in mind
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Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.