Attempted Assassination in Arizona

[LadyTevar]

Link to Updated News

Congresswoman Giffords, others shot in Ariz.
Congressional aide, federal judge reportedly killed in shooting outside Tucson store


BREAKING NEWS

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona was shot in the head Saturday when an assailant opened fire outside a grocery store during a meeting with constituents, killing her aide, a child and a federal judge. Several others were injured, some critically, during a rampage that rattled the nation.

Giffords was among several wounded, and the hospital said her outlook was "optimistic" and she was expected to recover.

"She's in critical condition," Dr. Peter Rhee said. "The neurosurgeons have finished operating on her and I can tell you that in the current time period I am very optimistic about recovery ... she was following commands."

A 9-year-old child was among the killed, and a federal judge was also fatally shot.

There were conflicting reports of how many people were injured in the rampage. There were estimates of up to 17 people, according to media reports.

Federal officials told NBC News that U.S. District Court Judge John M. Roll was among those who had died from injuries suffered in the shooting. He was the chief judge in Arizona, appointed in 1991 by the first President Bush. He became chief judge in 2006.

Congressional officials said an aide to Giffords also was killed, and unknown number of others were injured, including staffers to the lawmaker.

'Unspeakable tragedy'
Obama called the shooting "an unspeakable tragedy" and that such "a senseless and terrible act of violence has no place in a free society." He was sending the FBI director to oversee the investigation.

U.S. Capitol police say the 22-year-old shooter was in custody as one official said he carried out the attack with a pistol.

The suspect was identified as Jared Loughner, The Associated Press reported.

The officials who described the events did so on condition of anonymity, saying they were not permitted to comment publicly.

"I am horrified by the senseless attack on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and members of her staff," newly elected House Speaker John Boehner said. "An attack on one who serves is an attack on all who serve. Acts and threats of violence against public officials have no place in our society. Our prayers are with Congresswoman Giffords, her staff, all who were injured, and their families. This is a sad day for our country."

Three hours after the shooting, the L-shaped shopping center in Tucson was blocked off by police and had fire trucks and other vehicles in its parking lot that blocked the view of the store's front door. No shell casing could be seen from the area 500 yards from the store where reporters and photographers were kept.

Giffords, 40, was re-elected to her third term last November. She was a member of the Arizona House and Senate before coming to Washington.

Giffords tweeted shortly before the shooting, saying: "My 1st Congress on Your Corner starts now. Please stop by to let me know what is on your mind or tweet me later."

Giffords is married to astronaut Mark E. Kelly, who has piloted space shuttles Endeavour and Discovery. The two met in China in 2003 while they were serving on a committee there, and were married in January 2007. He was en route to the hospital, NBC News reported.

Giffords was first elected to Congress amid a wave of Democratic victories in the 2006 election, and she won a narrow victory against a tea party favorite in the 2010 election.

She has been mentioned as a possible Democratic nominee in 2012 for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Jon Kyl, who has not said whether he'll run again, or for the governor's office in 2014.

The shooting comes amid a highly charged political environment that has seen several dangerous threats against lawmakers but nothing that reached the point of actual violence.

A San Francisco man upset with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's support of health care reform pleaded guilty to threatening the Democratic congresswoman and her family, calling her directly on March 25 and threatening to destroy her Northern California home if she voted for health care reform.

In July, a California man known for his anger over left-leaning politics engaged in a shootout with highway patrol officers after planning an attack on the ACLU and another nonprofit group. The man said he wanted to "start a revolution" by killing people at the ACLU and the Tides Foundation.

Giffords herself has drawn the ire of the right, especially for her support of the health care bill from politicians like Sarah Palin.

Her Tucson office was vandalized a few hours after the House vote to approve the health care law in March, with someone either kicking or shooting out a glass door and window.

Despite the animosity she has generated from the right, Giffords describes herself as a former Republican and current Blue Dog Democrat.

"You know, actually as a former Republican, you know, I consider myself someone who is pretty in the middle, I'm a blue dog Democrat, and one that is interested in making sure that our country maintains our prosperity and frankly, our superiority over other countries and that's where we look at these threat, obviously our defense budget, our level of education," she said in an interview with Fox this week.

Officers with the Capitol Police force advised members of the House and their aides to "take reasonable and prudent precautions" about their own security in the wake of the shooting.

In an e-mail obtained by The Associated Press, the Capitol Police say they were directly involved in the investigation of the shooting in Tucson.

[Mayabird]

This was the first link. I'll say more at the end.

[quote]U.S. Congresswoman Giffords Shot in Arizona; Six Die
January 08, 2011, 4:52 PM EST

By Dan Hart, Tim Homan and Drew Armstrong

Jan. 8 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords, an Arizona Democrat, was one of 18 people shot today in Tucson, six fatally, by a man who opened fire on her meeting with constituents outside of a grocery store.

Giffords survived a single gunshot to the head and underwent surgery at University Medical Center in Tucson, Dr. Peter Rhee said in a press conference. U.S. District Court Judge John Roll was among those attacked, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said in an e-mailed statement.

Five people died at the scene and one died at a hospital, said Richard Kastigar, a bureau chief for the Pima County Sheriff’s Office. Alex Villec, 19-year-old volunteer for Giffords’s campaign, told reporters at the scene the unidentified shooter is a male. He was taken into custody, U.S. Capitol Police said in an e-mailed statement.

In Washington, President Barack Obama called the shooting “an unspeakable tragedy.â€

[Mayabird]

Beaten to it by Tevar. Lock or merge threads?
[line 2]

[SirNitram]

Merged. I'm just going to repeat my thoughts from elsewhere: When the right wing's media, elected, and unelected all talk about how the other side is destroying the country or are disgusting, inhuman, or evil, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT TO HAPPEN?!

[Dark Silver]

This...is fucking disgusting.


I'll make a better comment when I can think more coherently.

[LadyTevar]

This...is fucking disgusting.


I'll make a better comment when I can think more coherently.

No, I think you summed it up nicely, DS

Over on SDN, they've dug up the shooter's Facebook, blog, and Twitter. Has a nice pic of an American History book with a gun lying atop it.

[General Havoc]

A quote from John McCain:

I am horrified by the violent attack on Representative Gabrielle Giffords and many other innocent people by a wicked person who has no sense of justice or compassion. I pray for Gabby and the other victims, and for the repose of the souls of the dead and comfort for their families. I beg our loving Creator to spare the lives of those who are still alive, heal them in body and spirit, and return them to their loved ones.

Whoever did this, whatever their reason, they are a disgrace to Arizona, this country and the human race, and they deserve and will receive the contempt of all decent people and the strongest punishment of the law.

[Comrade Tortoise]

A quote from John McCain:

I am horrified by the violent attack on Representative Gabrielle Giffords and many other innocent people by a wicked person who has no sense of justice or compassion. I pray for Gabby and the other victims, and for the repose of the souls of the dead and comfort for their families. I beg our loving Creator to spare the lives of those who are still alive, heal them in body and spirit, and return them to their loved ones.

Whoever did this, whatever their reason, they are a disgrace to Arizona, this country and the human race, and they deserve and will receive the contempt of all decent people and the strongest punishment of the law.

And they will be hailed as heroes of the AZ Tea Party... even if only in private where no one else can see...

[The Minx]

What a horrible tragedy.

And now the shooter is due in court, unsurprisingly he has invoked the 5th:

Link

Tucson, Arizona (CNN) -- The suspect in the weekend shooting at an Arizona political meet-and-greet is scheduled to make an initial appearance Monday before a federal magistrate.

Jared Lee Loughner will appear in a Phoenix, Arizona, courtroom at 2 p.m. Monday (4 p.m. ET), prosecutors said.

He is accused of opening fire outside a Tucson supermarket, where U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Arizona, was meeting with constituents Saturday. Six people were killed and 14 others wounded in the shooting.

Giffords remained in critical condition Sunday after being shot through the skull, while a federal judge, a congressional aide and a 9-year-old girl were among the dead.

Federal authorities have charged Loughner with first-degree murder, attempted murder and attempting to kill a member of Congress, counts that involve the shootings of federal employees. State prosecutors also could bring charges in the remaining cases.

A federal public defender known for handling high-profile cases, Judy Clarke, has been appointed to represent Loughner, a federal judicial source said.

Clarke defended "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski and assisted in the case of confessed al Qaeda operative Zacarias Moussaoui.

Loughner has invoked his right against self-incrimination and is not talking with investigators, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik said over the weekend.

But court documents released Sunday show that investigators found a letter from the congresswoman in a safe at the house where Loughner lived with his parents, thanking him for attending a similar 2007 event.

"Also recovered in the safe was an envelope with handwriting on the envelope stating, 'I planned ahead,' and 'my assassination' and the name 'Giffords,' along with what appears to be Loughner's signature," the affidavit says.

A law enforcement official said investigators are interviewing "anyone, everyone, we can." Loughner's parents were cooperative when interviewed, the official said.

Investigators have not found anything connecting Loughner to extremist groups, the law enforcement official said. They believe Loughner was unemployed at the time of the shooting, according to the official.

Months before Saturday's shooting rampage, one of Loughner's former instructors said he saw Loughner as a threat and kicked him out of class.

Loughner was "physically removed" from the Pima Community College algebra course in June -- less than a month after it began -- instructor Ben McGahee told CNN.

McGahee said Loughner sometimes shook, blurted things out in class and appeared to be under the influence of drugs at times, McGahee said.

"I was scared of what he could do," McGahee said. "I wasn't scared of him physically, but I was scared of him bringing a weapon to class."

The 9mm pistol used in Saturday's shootings was purchased at a gun store in November, FBI Director Robert Mueller told reporters Sunday. And a law enforcement source said the suspect tried to buy ammunition at a Walmart store but was turned down because of his behavior. Another Walmart store later sold him the ammunition, the source said.

When he tried to enlist in the Army in 2008, the service rejected him for reasons it says it can't disclose due to privacy laws. But an administration official told CNN on Sunday that Loughner had failed a drug test.

In postings on the social-media sites YouTube and MySpace, Loughner railed against government "mind control," being surrounded by people he considered illiterate and the illegitimacy of the U.S. government. In class, McGahee said Loughner accused him of violating his free-speech rights: "And of course free speech is limited in the classroom."

One such outburst was "the straw that broke the camel's back," and McGahee -- who had already raised concerns about Loughner with administrators -- had him removed.

Loughner "needed psychological help," and McGahee said he was not surprised to hear his former student was the suspect in Saturday's bloodbath.

"This guy was mentally disturbed. He was very isolated," he said.

In a statement Saturday night, Pima Community College said Loughner was suspended after a series of run-ins with campus police between February and September, capped by the discovery of a YouTube video in which he accused the college of operating unconstitutionally. Loughner quit school after the suspension, the college said -- and it warned him that to return, he had to present a doctor's note stating that his presence would not be "a danger to himself or others."

McGahee said the school responded to complaints about Loughner but "they didn't do it early enough."

"I think they did the best they can do, but as far as the time frame goes it could have been shortened," he said.

[The Minx]

It looks like she's recovering. She's not only woken up, but reacted when spoken to and shows that she understands what people say to her. Wow.

Link

Giffords' progress a source of jubilation


Tucson, Arizona (CNN) -- They described it as "a miracle."

Shot in the head less than a week ago, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords opened her eyes briefly for the first time Wednesday, with her husband, her parents and other members of Congress in the room.

"It was extraordinary," said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, who was holding Giffords' hand at the time. "It was a miracle to witness."

The incident occurred shortly after President Barack Obama had visited Giffords in her hospital room. Less than an hour later, given permission to disclose the information by Mark Kelly, Giffords' husband, Obama electrified a memorial-service crowd and a national television audience by revealing one of the most promising pieces of news about Gifford's condition to emerge since an assassination attempt against her on Saturday.

Giffords was squeezing and stroking Gillibrand's hand, as doctors previously said she had been able to do.

Giffords "absolutely could hear everything we were saying," Gillibrand said. "And Debbie (Wasserman Schultz, D-Florida) and I were telling her how much she was inspiring the nation with her courage, her strength, and we were talking about the things we wanted to do as soon as she was better."

Gillibrand mentioned having another night out with Giffords and her husband for beer and pizza. And Wasserman Schultz recounted telling her, "Come on, you've got to get better, because we expect you up in New Hampshire this summer" at Wasserman Schultz's vacation home.

"And just as I said that, that's when she suddenly was struggling to open ... her eyes," Wasserman Schultz said. "First just a little bit. And the doctors couldn't believe it. They said, 'This is such a good time.' "

Kelly saw her struggling, Gillibrand said, and he and the others began to encourage her, saying, "Open your eyes, Gabby. Open your eyes."

And Giffords did. Her right eye remains bandaged, but Giffords is opening both of them, doctors said Thursday

"She took a moment to focus, you could see she was focusing," Gillibrand said. "And then Mark said ... 'Gabby, if you can see me, if you can see me, give us a thumbs-up ... She didn't only give a thumbs-up, she literally raised her entire hand. We were just -- we couldn't stop crying ... It was just one of those moments that life brings you so rarely."

But Giffords didn't stop there, Gillibrand said. She reached out and grabbed her husband "and is touching him and starts to really choke him like she was really trying to hug him." He asked her to touch his wedding ring, "and she touches his ring, then she grabs his whole watch and wrist and then the doctor was just so excited, he said, 'You don't understand ... this is amazing what she is doing right now and beyond our greatest hopes.' "

Of the six patients the hospital is still treating from Saturday's shooting, Giffords is the only one in critical condition. Four others are in fair condition, and the sixth was being released from the hospital Thursday, said Dr. Peter Rhee, medical director of the University Medical Center's trauma center.

Giffords remains in critical condition because doctors are worried about her losing ground, said Dr. Michael Lemole, chief of neurosurgery at the hospital.

A 9-year-old girl, Christina Green, and Arizona's chief federal judge, John Roll, are among the dead, along with Gabe Zimmerman, a Giffords staffer. A funeral mass was being held for Green on Thursday.

Authorities say Giffords was the target of the shooting. Thirteen other people suffered gunshot wounds, the Pima County Sheriff has said, while others were injured trying to flee the scene.

Tucson resident Jared Lee Loughner, 22, is facing federal charges in the attack. Police said Thursday they believe they have found a black bag that may have caused an argument between Loughner and his father the morning of the shooting.

The milestone is only the latest for the Arizona congresswoman, who doctors said could respond to commands even upon arrival at the hospital trauma unit -- she squeezed a doctor's hand when asked to do so -- less than an hour after the shooting. Even when her prognosis was grim, she has consistently defied the odds and met or exceeded expectations.

The next step, doctors told reporters Thursday, is the removal of Giffords' breathing tube. She is breathing on her own "with very little support," Rhee said, but he wasn't sure when the tube might come out.

Giffords is "becoming more and more alert at this time," he said, telling reporters she acts like someone waking up in the morning -- yawning and rubbing her eyes. "We have seen the eyes begin to track" and focus, he said.

She has been opening her eyes more often since the first time Thursday night, Lemole said. "This is all very encouraging," he said. "... It is a significant move forward."

Rhee said Giffords has been undergoing physical therapy, in which staffers sit her up with her legs dangling off the side of the bed. When asked, she can move both legs, straightening them out, he said.

Safeway, which owns the grocery store where the shooting took place, took out a full-page ad in Tucson's Arizona Daily Star newspaper Thursday, saying it is proud to be part of a community that cares so deeply about one another. Since Saturday, Safeway employees have been praying for the victims and their families, and the company is working to reopen the store, it said. Supermarkets pride themselves on reopening quickly following disasters, it noted, but Saturday's events were not a tornado or hurricane.

Doctors have cautiously described Giffords' recovery as going according to plan, so far absent of any complications or issues, and have said throughout that she has been able to communicate when they lessen her sedation and allow her to awaken.

"Other than the birth of my kids, this was the most incredible feeling, to see literally one of your closest friends struggle to come to you, her family, her friends," said Wasserman Schultz, who spoke on CNN's "AC360" along with Gillibrand. "We know how strong Gabby is. ... You could see all the strength pouring out of her to touch her husband."

"She wanted to tell us, 'I'm with you,' " Gillibrand said.

Lemole said he also was in the room when Giffords opened her eyes, saying it might have been the "unexpected familiarity" of having close friends visit that perhaps Giffords wasn't expecting.

"This is the part that doctors, I think, have the hardest time with -- those intangibles in medicine," he said, referring to the role that family and friends can play in prompting patient progress.

"Miracles happen every day," Lemole said. "... A lot of medicine is outside our control."

"It was, as you can imagine, a glorious moment," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who was also in the room.

The road ahead for Giffords may be long. Her recovery may last a lifetime, like that of Jim Brady, a former White House press secretary under President Ronald Reagan who was shot in the head in 1981. Several parallels have been drawn between the two. Now 70 and blind, Brady told CNN's Jim Acosta this week he routinely goes to physical therapy near his Delaware home.

"Life will always be good again," Brady said. "It may be different. But that doesn't mean it's bad."

And Giffords has been described by many as tenacious and fearless.

"Our boss is a fighter, and she's fighting," C.J. Karamargin, Giffords' spokesman, said on "AC360." "And we saw that today."

That's just awesome.

[frigidmagi]

Well that's something good. I rather this never happened but it something good.