Police identify 3 Virginia officers who took fire responding to the congressional shooting

— -- The police chief in Alexandria, Virginia described the minute-by-minute heroism of three local police officers who arrived at the site of the shooting at Wednesday’s congressional baseball practice.

The three Alexandria officers were named as Officer Kevin Jobe, Officer Nicole Battaglia, and Officer Alexander Jensen. The trio assisted the plainclothes Capitol Police officers Crystal Griner, Henry Cabrera, and David Bailey in neutralizing the shooter James T. Hodgkinson at Eugene Simpson Stadium Park.

Chief of Police Michael Brown gave a tick-tock of Wednesday morning’s shooting, saying that the first call came into their dispatch at 7:08 a.m. from a resident near the baseball field. At 7:11 a.m. Officer Jobe, a 16-year veteran of the Alexandria Police Department, arrived on scene and advanced on foot — without cover — towards the gunfight, taking up position near the plainclothes Capitol Police officers.

Brown said the shooter was backed away from the third base line towards home plate by the advances of the officers at the scene.

Officers Battaglia and Jensen immediately faced fire from the shooter when they arrived. Battaglia jumped out of her car and moved towards the firefight to the point that she was “pinned down in the parking lot with a barrage of weapon fire from the shooter,” according to Chief Brown.

“That act alone, in my opinion diverted the attention of the shooter away from the other officers allowing them to get themselves into position to deal with the situation that took place,” Brown said.

Around the same time, Jensen used his police cruiser for cover and his departmental rifle to engage the suspect.

Chief Brown said the scene was neutralized at 7:14am — just 4 minutes after the first 911 call was made.

“I could not be more proud of the officers of the Alexandria police department that showed up that day,” Brown added.

Jensen and Battaglia have been with the Alexandria police less than two years. None of the three Alexandria officers were injured in the shooting.

Five people, including the shooter Hodgkinson, were shot during Wednesday morning's ambush on the Republican members' morning baseball practice. As of today, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R- Louisiana) is expected to undergo additional surgeries and remains hospitalized. Lobbyist Matt Mika remains in critical condition.