Arizona shooting & latest details
Six people were killed and 12 others wounded, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, when a gunman opened fire in front of a Safeway supermarket in Tucson, Arizona, authorities said. The congresswoman had been hosting a meeting with constituents Saturday morning when the attack began. Here are the latest developments as confirmed by
CNN:
LATEST
— The Sheriff’s Office said early Sunday morning that the correct last name of one of the victims who died in the shooting is Dorothy Morris.
— The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is expected to hold another news conference at 11 a.m. Sunday (1 p.m. ET).
— The University Medical Center in Tucson will offer a patient condition update at 10 a.m. Sunday (12 p.m. ET).
— As of 3:45 a.m. Sunday, Congresswoman Giffords remained in critical condition, said Darci Slaten, spokeswoman for the medical center. Of the nine other shooting victims taken to that hospital, four others were in critical condition and five were in serious condition.
— Early Sunday morning, the sheriff’s office released a surveillance camera photo of a male between 40 and 50 years old who is “possibly associated with the suspect.” The dark-haired man was last seen wearing blue jeans and a dark blue jacket, and was seen at the location where the shooting occurred.
— At 2 p.m. Sunday, a caucus conference call has been scheduled for House Democrats and their spouses to get an update on the shooting, two congressional sources said.
— At 8:30 a.m., Speaker of the House John Boehner will address the media in West Chester, Ohio, about the shooting.
THE INCIDENT
— Congresswoman Giffords was taking part in a meet-and-greet with constituents called “Congress on Your Corner” outside a grocery Safeway store in Tucson.
— Before the event, she tweeted: “My 1st Congress on Your Corner starts now. Please stop by to let me know what is on your mind or tweet me later.”
— The attack happened about 10 minutes into the event.
— Giffords did not have any security with her, said staffer Mark Kimble. “She wants to be as accessible to the people who elected her as possible,” he said.
— Dr. Steven Rayle was about 10 feet away from Giffords when the gunman shot the congresswoman. “He continued to fire, sort of rapidly, really at point-blank range,” he said, adding that the man was shooting indiscriminately.
— The suspect was tackled to the ground by two men when he was trying to reload, another witness said.
— The gun, which another bystander had wrestled from the gunman, was empty and cocked open. Federal and state law enforcement sources described it as a 9mm Glock outfitted with an extended magazine.
— The shooter had another magazine at the ready, according to Joe Zamudio who said he was one of the bystanders who pinned the gunman to the ground until police showed up.
— Hearing the shooting, Daniel Hernandez, a trained nurse and a Giffords intern, rushed to see what happened and used his medical training to “apply pressure to the wound and keep her active and alert,” said Arizona state Rep. Steve Farley. Hernandez was Farley’s former campaign manager.
THE INVESTIGATION
— The suspect in the shooting is Jared Lee Loughner, a 22-year-oldformer community college student, according to an Arizona law enforcement source and a U.S. law enforcement source.
— Officials have not stated a motive for the shooting. The suspect was not talking and had invoked his right against self-incrimination, said Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik.
— At the direction of President Barack Obama, FBI Director Mueller was headed to Arizona to help coordinate the investigation. The FBI is working jointly with local law enforcement. The U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of Arizona said it has about a dozen people working on the investigation.
— The suspect was in federal custody early Sunday morning, said Jason Ogan, spokesman for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. As such, the suspect will not face a first appearance in court Sunday, Ogan said.
— Authorities released a photo of a male between 40 and 50 years old who is “possibly associated with the suspect.” The dark-haired man was last seen wearing blue jeans and a dark blue jacket, and was seen at the location where the shooting occurred.
— Authorities did not know whether the person they sought actually had any connection with Loughner, a law enforcement source told CNN. Authorities have a piece of evidence that indicates this second individual was in close proximity to the store, the source said, but declined to elaborate.
— That source also said authorities were seeking search warrants for a residence and for a vehicle in connection with the suspect in custody.
— A law enforcement source familiar with the investigation says the Glock used in the shootings was purchased legally, but did not have the details when or where it was bought. The extended magazine used in the shooting was likely purchased separately and at a different time, the source said. The official said such a magazine does not automatically come with a weapons purchase and it would be extremely rare for them to be sold together in one purchase.
THE CONGRESSWOMAN
— Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, 40, was shot in the head and underwent surgery Saturday. Doctors were optimistic of her chances of surviving. “I’m about as optimistic as it can get in this situation,” Dr. Peter Rhee of the University Medical Center said Saturday afternoon. He said the next 24 hours will be key for determining the extent of her recovery.
— First elected in 2006, Giffords is serving her third term in Congress.
— She narrowly beat Tea Party-backed Republican Jesse Kelly in the November midterm elections, garnering 49% to the latter’s 47% of the votes.
— Known as a “Blue Dog,” or moderate, Democrat, Giffords was a key swing vote in last year’s health care reform debate. She didn’t make up her mind to vote for the legislation until the final days before the ultimate passing vote.
— She is married to NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, a Navy captain who is scheduled to fly the April space shuttle mission to the international space station. She is the only U.S. Representative with an active duty military spouse, according to her website.
— She has no children but was stepmother to Kelly’s two children, said Sylvia Lee, president of Pima County Community College in Tucson.
— She had received threats in the past, Lee said. A glass panel at her Tucson office was shattered the day after the health care reform vote last year. Staffers suspected someone shot a pellet gun at the glass. At a townhall meeting, a gun fell out of a constituent’s pocket. But Giffords’ press secretary, C.J. Karamargin, said he was unaware of any recent threats against Giffords.
— She generally voted with her party but voted against the auto bailout bill and was one of 19 Democrats to vote against former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s bid to become the Democrats’ minority leader after the midterm elections returned Republicans to power in the House.
— She holds a master’s degree in regional planning from Cornell University and a B.A. from Scripps College where she was awarded a William Fulbright Scholarship to study for a year in Chihuahua, Mexico.
— Before embarking on a political career, she worked for Price Waterhouse Coopers and served as chief executive officer and president of El Campo Tire, her family’s business.
— She then served served in the Arizona legislature from 2000 to 2005 where she was the youngest woman elected to the Arizona state Senate.
THE SUSPECTED GUNMAN
— The suspect in the shooting is Jared Lee Loughner, a 22-year-old former community college student, according to an Arizona law enforcement source and a U.S. law enforcement source.
— He railed against government “mind control” and illiteracy in online missives and had “kind of a troubled past,” said Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik.
— He also had brushes with the law, the sheriff said without elaborating. “We understand that there have been law enforcement contacts with the individual where he made threats.” Court records indicate he had been arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia in 2007, but the charge was dismissed.
— Loughner dropped out of high school in 2006, after his junior year, said Tamara Crawley, a spokeswoman for the Marana United School District in suburban Tucson.
— In 2008, he tried to enlist in the U.S. Army. The Army rejected him, and privacy laws keep the military from disclosing the reason, the service said in a statement to CNN.
— He enrolled at Aztec Middle College, a partnership between Tucson schools and Pima Community College that helps high school dropouts transition to community colleges, the community college President Sylvia Lee told CNN.
— He took classes at the college from 2005 until October 2010, but withdrew after five contacts with police “for classroom and library disruptions” at two campuses between February and September, the school said.
— Loughner was suspended after authorities found a YouTube video in which he called the school “illegal according to the U.S. Constitution, and makes other claims,” a college statement said. He quit during an October 4 meeting with his parents and school administrators, and a follow-up letter warned that to return, he had to present a doctor’s note stating that “his presence at the College does not present a danger to himself or others.”
— On his YouTube page, a list of his favorite books included both “Mein Kampf” and “The Communist Manifesto,” along with works by George Orwell, Ray Bradbury, Ken Kesey, Herman Hesse, Ernest Hemingway, Plato and Aesop’s fables.
— “Good-bye friends,” read a Saturday morning posting on Loughner’s MySpace page, just hours before the shooting. “Dear friends … Please don’t be mad at me. The literacy rate is below 5%. I haven’t talked to one person who is literate.”
— A December 30 posting read, “Dear Reader … I’m searching. Today! With every concern, my shot is now ready for aim. The hunt, a mighty thought of mine.”
— Online, Loughner complained about the “second Constitution,” a term legal scholars sometimes use to describe the post-Civil War amendments that ended slavery, extended the right to vote and required equal protection under the law. Its meaning to Loughner could not be clearly discerned.
— In an apparent reference to Giffords’ congressional district, he wrote in a December 15 video message on YouTube: “The majority of people, who reside in District-8 are illiterate — hilarious.”
— In the same message he wrote: “If I define terrorist then a terrorist is a person who employs terror or terrorism, especially as a political weapon. I define terrorist.”
— More excerpts from his online posts can be found in the file, Arizona-Shooting-Suspect-Social
THE OTHER VICTIMS
In addition to the 12 people wounded in the shooting, the following six were killed:
— John Roll, 63 (See Arizona-Judge-Obit)
A native of Pennsylvania, Roll was a federal judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona who had served the legal system for nearly 40 years. He began his career as a bailiff in Pima County Superior Court and rose to be chief judge for the District of Arizona, a position he held since 2006. He received death threats two years ago after he ruled that a $32 million civil-rights lawsuit filed by illegal immigrants against a rancher in the state could proceed. He had been assigned to hear the ethnic studies ban case out of Tucson that involves a new law banning certain ethnic studies programs in public schools, according to the lead attorney on the case, Richard Martinez. Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts called Roll’s death a tragic loss.
— Christina Taylor Greene, 9.
She was born on September 11, 2001, according to CNN affiliate KVOA. Family members described her as “excited” about the political process, and that the desire to learn more about it had motivated her to go to the Gifford event, the affiliate said. Christina had just been elected to the student council at her school, the Arizona Republic reported. She died at a hospital, and not at the scene like the other five.
— Gabe Zimmerman, 30.
A Tucson native who was engaged to be married, Zimmerman was the director of community outreach for the congresswoman.
— Dorwin Stoddard, 76.
Dory, as his family prefers to call him, was a retired construction worker, said Pastor Mike Nowak at Mount Avenue Church of Christ in Tucson. Witnesses told CNN that Stoddard tried to shield his wife, Mavy (pronounced: Maaah-vee), was shot in the head and fell on her. The wife was shot three times in her legs, the bullets were removed and she is expected to make a full recovery.
— Dorothy Morris, 76
— Phyllis Scheck, 79
THE REACTION
— Following the shootings, all legislation on the House schedule for the coming week was postponed, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said. The decision was made by leaders of both parties and means the House will not vote this week on the repeal of health care reform.
— Although U.S. Capitol Police said there was no evidence of a broader threat involving federal officials, it has advised other members of Congress to take “reasonable and prudent precautions
regarding their personal safety and security.” The House Sergeant at Arms also said “it is essential” that lawmakers contact local police to register their home and office addresses.
— Tucson Police Chief Roberto Villasenor said his department had secured the homes and offices of some unnamed federal officials as a “precautionary measure.”
— Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, said an incident like this could have a chilling effect on the frequent weekend listening post sessions many members of Congress have with their constituents.
— In Tucson, supporters gathered outside the University Medical Center, keeping vigil as family members waited with wounded loved ones inside.On the other side of the country, dozens of marchers braved sub-freezing temperatures and gusty winds to gather on Capitol Hill for a candlelight vigil Saturday night.
— Reactions poured in from all corners to the shooting. A full list of comments is available in a separate wire, Arizona-Shootings-Reaction. Here are some brief excerpts from some of the comments.
— President Barack Obama: “We do not yet have all the answers. What we do know is that such a senseless and terrible act of violence has no place in a free society.”
— Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer: “I am just heartbroken. Gabby is more than just a colleague, she is my friend. She has always been a noble public servant.”
— John Roberts, chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, on the death of one of the victims, Judge U.S. District Judge John Roll: “Chief Judge Roll’s death is a somber reminder of the importance of the rule of law and the sacrifices of those who work to secure it.”
— U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi: “Congresswoman Giffords is a brilliant and courageous member of Congress, bringing to Washington the views of a new generation of national leaders. It is especially tragic that she was attacked as she was meeting with her constituents whom she serves with such dedication and distinction.”
— House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio: “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.”
— U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona: “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. … 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.”
— Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin: “There is no place in our society or discourse for such senseless and unconscionable acts of violence.”
THE RHETORIC
— Officials have not stated a motive for the shooting.
— Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik used a nationally televised press conference to condemn the tone of political discourse in his state. He charged that public debate is now “vitriolic rhetoric,” which has rendered Arizona “the meeca for prejudice and bigotry.” Dupnik suggested that such rhetoric can have deadly consequences.
— Last March, Giffords raised concerns about inflammatory rhetoric after her office was vandalized, and she cited how her name appeared on a website titled “take back the 20” as part of a list originally issued by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin in March 2010 against vulnerable House Democrats.
— The list, that named 20 House members who voted for health care reform, showed crosshairs over the contested Democratic districts.
— At the time, Giffords responded to the map by saying on MSNBC that her long-serving colleagues had “never seen anything like it.” “The thing is, the way that she has it depicted has the crosshairs of a gun sight over our district,” Giffords said in March. “When people do that, they’ve got to realize there’s consequences to that action.”
— In a statement Saturday, Palin said: “There is no place in our society or discourse for such senseless and unconscionable acts of violence.”
— A day after Giffords voted in favor of health care reform, a glass panel at her Tucson office was shattered.
— At a townhall meeting, a gun fell out of a constituent’s pocket.
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/01/09/arizona.shooting.developments/
— Giffords’ press secretary, C.J. Karamargin, said he was unaware of any recent threats against Giffords.
