James Hodgkinson rented a locker in Alexandria, Va., for two months prior to carrying out the shooting at a Republican congressional practice baseball game on June 14, according to the FBI. Investigators recovered 200 rounds of ammunition from the locker in addition to rifle components, a laptop, and a receipt for a gun purchase.
Hodgkinson visited the facility 43 times between April and June, usually in the morning between 6 and 7 a.m. and sometimes twice a day.
The FBI analyzed the gunman’s social media posts, but did not find any that threatened congressmen directly or referenced the baseball practice.
“Hodgkinson made numerous posts on all of his social media accounts espousing anti-Republican views, although all the posts reviewed thus far appear to be First Amendment-protected speech,” the FBI press release states.
Investigators are still reviewing data on Hodgkinson’s laptop and phone, adding more details to the days leading up to the shooting.
Between April 11 and 26, the shooter visited and took pictures and videos of various sites on the National Mall including the U.S. Capitol, the Dirksen Senate Office Building, the Library of Congress, the Supreme Court, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Washington Monument.
