https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_baseball_shooting

Hodgkinson had participated in the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign during the 2016 United States presidential election, and was described by a fellow campaigner in Iowa as a "quiet guy, very mellow, very reserved".[54][56]

Republican Congressman Mike Bost, who represents Hodgkinson's home district, said Hodgkinson had contacted his office ten times, but "never with any threats, only anger".[54][57]

He wrote 27 letters to the editor of the Belleville News-Democrat between March 2008 and September 2012 on various political and economic topics, many of which were anti-Republican.[58]

On May 22, Hodgkinson wrote "Trump is a Traitor. Trump Has Destroyed Our Democracy. It's Time to Destroy Trump & Co." above his repost of a Change.org petition demanding "the legal removal" of Trump and Vice President Mike Pence for "treason". He belonged to numerous political Facebook groups, including those named "Terminate the Republican Party", "The Road To Hell Is Paved With Republicans", and "Donald Trump is not my President."[59]

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, which took over the investigation, said on June 14 that it was too early to ascribe a motive for the shootings.[4] It put out a request for public assistance with "any information regarding Hodgkinson".[50]

On June 16, USA Today reported, citing an anonymous source, that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) found a list of names, including those of Republican Congressmen Mo Brooks, Jeff Duncan and Trent Franks, in Hodgkinson's pocket.[60]

On June 21, FBI agent Timothy Slater said the names of six congressmen were written on a piece of paper found in an Alexandria storage locker rented to Hodgkinson. He said it did not appear to be a hit list, and that its significance was unclear.[61][62]