Congressional aide: ‘If I wanted to live I needed to make a run for it’

A legislative aide to Rep. Roger Williams (R-Texas) spoke out Thursday after he was shot at a congressional GOP baseball practice in Virginia on Wednesday.

“I saw he trained his gun on me. Everything around me started to pop. I got hit in the leg and decided, I was full adrenaline, my fight or flight kicked in. I decided if I wanted to live I needed to make a run for it so I ran down the first base line to the dugout,” Zach Barth told CBS News.

{mosads}Barth, who was shot in the leg, huddled with his boss and Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), while Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) used Brooks’s belt as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding from Barth’s leg.

Williams, who twisted his ankle during the attack, and Barth credited Capitol Police with saving their lives during the shooting.

“I didn’t know what was going on, but thank the lord for special agents [Crystal] Griner and [David] Bailey, without them I don’t think I’d be talking with you today,” Barth said.

“We’re blessed, but these Capitol Police saved all our lives. They’re heroes; we owe it all to them,” Williams added.

The Republican baseball team was practicing for the annual congressional baseball game before the shooting took place. The game is scheduled to go on Thursday night at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. Williams and Barth said they will both be in attendance. 

“I’m going to be coaching third base on my crutches, so I’m going to guess I’m going to be the only third base coach in baseball tonight on crutches, but we’re going to be there,” Williams said.