Texas congressional staffer Zachary Barth wounded in baseball shooting
Zachary W. Barth, a legislative correspondent for Rep. Roger Williams of Texas, was one of five people wounded in the shooting at a congressional baseball practice Wednesday morning.
Barth joined Williams' office in September after working for five months for former Texas Republican congressman Randy Neugebauer, according to public records. A legislative correspondent is a junior congressional position generally responsible for responding to constituent concerns about various issues.
Barth posted on Facebook shortly after the shooting: “I got shot this morning at the baseball fields but am in the hospital and okay,” he wrote. “Thank you for the thoughts and prayers.”
Williams’ office initially referred callers to the congressman’s Twitter posts in which he said Barth was “doing well and is expected to make a full recovery.” Williams has served as a coach for the Republican team since he came to Congress in 2013.
Later Wednesday, Williams, who sprained an ankle and was on crutches after the melee, addressed assembled news media, describing how Barth continued texting to alert authorities of the need for help even after he’d been shot.
Barth is a 2015 graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in government. UT president Greg Fenves wrote on Twitter it was “awful to hear UT Alum Zack Barth, staffer for @RogerWilliamsTX, was injured in congressional shooting. We wish you a speedy recovery.”
Barth also was a staffer for Jeb Bush's 2016 presidential campaign.
Barth interned for a commercial real estate company in Austin in college and its employees remembered him fondly after his ordeal Wednesday.
“Zack Barth was a valued former intern at AQUILA. We are praying for his quick recovery and grateful for his safety,” the company’s chief operating officer, Corby McWilliams, said by email
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