‘Nobody really knew anything about him.’

James T. Hodgkinson lived a seemingly comfortable existence back home. He had a wife, friends and a pool where he hosted parties. How and why his life ended on a blood-soaked field halfway across the nation remains largely a mystery to investigators trying to piece together his life.

Anger, plain and simple, seemed to be one driver. A man prone to aggressive outbursts, Hodgkinson had grown increasingly angry at the political order in recent years, lashing out online against President Donald Trump and other Republicans.

On Wednesday, that rage moved from social media to the real world when Hodgkinson opened fire on an early-morning baseball practice for lawmakers. After injuring at least five people, the 66-year-old Hodgkinson was shot and killed.