Houston Congressional aide shot in attack talks to ABC13
CAPITOL HILL (KTRK) -- A day after being shot while at a Congressional Republican baseball practice in Virginia, Houston-native Zack Barth was walking around Capitol Hill, speaking to a sea of lights and cameras.
In an interview with ABC13's Ted Oberg, Barth said he's recovering quickly from the gunshot that hit him in the calf.
"I'm very blessed that the bullet went straight through," Barth said.
Barth said the day was normal until a single gunshot that got everyone's attention. Then chaos.
"I heard somebody say, 'He's got a gun! Run!'"
That's when Barth started running.
"There was nowhere I could go," Barth said. "There was no gate or anything. So, I hit the deck. Then I saw the shooter train his rifle on me."
Barth said he could see pops of dirt flying up around him as he lay flat in the outfield. Then a shot hit him.
"At that point, my adrenaline was in full gear and my fight or flight took over. I decided if I wanted to live, I couldn't stay there. So I ran down the first baseline jumped into the dugout. I was running for my life."
Soon after, Capitol Police opened fire on the assailant.
Barth, like many others, credit that with his survival.
"The loss of life would've been tremendous."
Now Barth wants to continue his work.
"I just appreciate the opportunity to have another day on this earth," Barth said.
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