Congressman Steve Scalise, the third ranking member of House Republican leadership, is in critical condition following surgery he received after being shot during a congressional practice for a charity baseball game, the hospital where he is receiving treatment has said.

Mr Scalise was among several wounded when a rifle-wielding attacker fired on Republican lawmakers on a baseball field in Alexandria, Virginia, on the outskirts of Washington, DC.

MedStar Washington Hospital Center said in a tweet Wednesday afternoon that Mr Scalise "was critically injured and remains in critical condition." The hospital provided no further details about him.