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Representative Gabrielle Giffords and 18 Shot Near Tucson - The
New York Times

TUCSON — Representative Gabrielle Giffords, an Arizona Democrat,
and at least 17 others were shot Saturday morning when a gunman
opened fire outside a supermarket where Ms. Giffords was meeting
with constituents.

Six of the victims died, among them John M. Roll, the chief
judge for the United States District Court for Arizona, and a 9-
year-old girl, the Pima County sheriff, Clarence W. Dupnik, said.

Ms. Giffords, 40, whom the authorities called the target of the
attack, was in critical condition Sunday morning at the
University Medical Center in Tucson, where she was operated on
by a team of neurosurgeons on Saturday. Dr. Peter Rhee, medical
director of the hospital’s trauma and critical care unit, said
Saturday that she had been shot once in the head, “through and
through,” with the bullet going through her brain.

President Obama, speaking at the White House, confirmed that a
suspect was in custody and said that the director of the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, Robert S. Mueller III, was on his way
to Arizona to oversee the investigation.

Investigators identified the gunman as Jared Lee Loughner, 22,
and said that he was refusing to cooperate with the authorities
and had invoked his Fifth Amendment rights. Mr. Loughner was in
custody with the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Saturday
night, the Pima Country sheriff’s office said.

Mr. Loughner had exhibited increasingly strange behavior in
recent months, including ominous Internet postings — at least
one showing a gun — and a series of videos in which he made
disjointed statements on topics like the gold standard and mind
control.

Pima Community College said he had been suspended for conduct
violations and withdrew in October after five instances of
classroom or library disruptions that involved the campus police.

The authorities were seen entering the Loughner family house
about five miles from the shooting scene. Investigators said
they were looking for a possible accomplice, believed to be in
his 50s.

The shootings raised questions about potential political
motives, and Sheriff Dupnik blamed the toxic political
environment in Arizona. There were immediate national
reverberations as Democrats denounced the fierce partisan
atmosphere in Ms. Gifford’s district and top Republicans quickly
condemned the violence.

Mark Kimble, an aide to Ms. Giffords, said the shooting occurred
about 10 a.m. in a small area between an American flag and an
Arizona flag. He said that he went into the store for coffee,
and that as he came out the gunman started firing.

Ms. Giffords had been talking to a couple about Medicare and
reimbursements, and Judge Roll had just walked up to her and
shouted “Hi,” when the gunman, wearing sunglasses and perhaps a
hood of some sort, approached and shot the judge, Mr. Kimble
said. “Everyone hit the ground,” he said. “It was so shocking.”

The United States Capitol Police, which is investigating the
attack, cautioned lawmakers “to take reasonable and prudent
precautions regarding their personal security.”

Because of the shootings, House Republicans postponed all
legislation to be considered on the floor this week, including a
vote to repeal the health care overhaul. The House majority
leader, Representative Eric Cantor, Republican of Virginia, said
lawmakers needed to “take whatever actions may be necessary in
light of today’s tragedy.”

Speaking of Ms. Giffords’s condition, Dr. Rhee said at a news
conference, “I can tell you at this time, I am very optimistic
about her recovery.” He added, “We cannot tell what kind of
recovery, but I’m as optimistic as it can get in this kind of
situation.”

Ms. Giffords remained unconscious on Saturday night, said her
spokesman, C. J. Karamargin.

Several aides to Ms. Giffords were wounded, and her director of
community outreach, Gabriel Zimmerman, 30, was among those
killed. The girl who died was identified as Christina Green, a
third grader. The others killed were Dorothy Morris, 76; Dorwan
Stoddard, 76; and Phyllis Schneck, 79.

Ms. Giffords, who represents the Eighth District, in the
southeastern corner of Arizona, has been an outspoken critic of
the state’s tough immigration law, which is focused on
identifying, prosecuting and deporting illegal immigrants, and
she had come under criticism for her vote in favor of the health
care law.

Friends said she had received threats over the years. Judge Roll
had been involved in immigration cases and had received death
threats.

The police said Ms. Giffords’s district office was evacuated
late Saturday after a suspicious package was found. Officers
later cleared the scene.

Ms. Giffords, widely known as Gabby, had been speaking to
constituents in a store alcove under a large white banner
bearing her name when a man surged forward and began firing. He
tried to escape but was tackled by a bystander and taken into
custody by the police. The event, called “Congress on Your
Corner,” was outside a Safeway supermarket northwest of Tucson
and was the first opportunity for constituents to meet with Ms.
Giffords since she was sworn in for a third term on Wednesday.

Ms. Giffords was part of the Democratic class of 2006 that swept
Democrats into the majority in the House. She narrowly won re-
election in November, while many fellow Democrats were toppled
and the House turned to Republican control.

“I saw the congresswoman talking to two people, and then this
man suddenly came up and shot her in the head and then shot
other people,” said Dr. Steven Rayle, a witness to the
shootings. “I think it was a semiautomatic, and he must have got
off 20 rounds.”

Dr. Rayle said that Ms. Giffords slumped to the ground and that
staff members immediately rushed to her aid. “A staffer had his
arm around her, and she was leaning against the window of the
Safeway,” the doctor said. “He had a jacket or towel on her
head.”

At least one of the other shooting victims helped Ms. Giffords,
witnesses said.

Television broadcasts showed a chaotic scene outside a normally
tranquil suburban shopping spot as emergency workers rushed to
carry the wounded away in stretchers. Some of the victims were
taken from the site by helicopter, three of which had arrived.

Law enforcement officials said that the congresswoman had
received numerous threats.

Congressional leaders of both parties issued statements
throughout the day expressing outrage at the shooting as well as
concern and prayers for Ms. Giffords and her family.

The new House speaker, John A. Boehner, said: “I am horrified by
the senseless attack on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and
members of her staff. 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.”

Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, issued one of the
strongest statements, saying: “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.”

He added, “Whoever did this, whatever their reason, they are a
disgrace to Arizona, this country and the human race.”

Ms. Giffords is a centrist Democrat who won re-election in part
by stressing her strong support for gun rights and for tougher
immigration controls, including tighter border security, even
though she opposed the controversial Arizona law.

Last March, after the final approval of the Democrats’ health
care law, which Ms. Giffords supported, the windows of her
office in Tucson were broken or shot out in an act of vandalism.
Similar acts were reported by other members of Congress.

In August 2009, when there were demonstrations against the
health care measure across the nation, a protester who showed up
to meet Ms. Giffords at a supermarket event similar to
Saturday’s was removed by the police when the pistol he had
holstered under his armpit fell and bounced on the floor.

In an interview at the Capitol this week, Ms. Giffords said she
was excited to count herself among the Democrats who joined the
new Republican majority in reading the Constitution aloud from
the House floor. She said she was particularly pleased with
being assigned the reading of the First Amendment.

“I wanted to be here,” she said. “I think it’s important.
Reflecting on the Constitution in a bipartisan way is a good way
to start the year.”

As a Democrat, Ms. Giffords is something of anomaly in Arizona
and in her district, which has traditionally tilted Republican.
Last year, she barely squeaked to victory over a Republican
challenger, Jesse Kelly. But she had clearly heard the message
that constituents were dissatisfied with Democratic leaders in
Washington.

At the Capitol last week, Ms. Giffords refused to support the
outgoing Democratic House speaker, Nancy Pelosi of California,
in her symbolic contest with the Republican, Mr. Boehner of
Ohio. Instead, she cast her vote for Representative John Lewis,
a Georgia Democrat and hero of the civil rights movement.

“It’s not surprising that today Gabby was doing what she always
does: listening to the hopes and concerns of her neighbors,” Mr.
Obama said during a news conference Saturday, calling her a
“friend of mine” and an “extraordinary public servant.” “I know
Gabby is as tough as they come,” he said. “Obviously, our hearts
go out to the family members of those who have been slain.”
“We’re going to get to the bottom of this, and we’re going to
get through this,” he said.

The shooting mobilized officials at the White House and
throughout the highest levels of government, including the
Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department.

Rabbi Stephanie Aaron, who in 2007 officiated at the wedding of
Ms. Giffords and the astronaut Mark E. Kelly, and leads
Congregation Chaverim in Tucson, said the congresswoman had
never expressed any concern about her safety. “No fear. I’ve
only seen the bravest possible, most intelligent young
congresswoman,” Rabbi Aaron said. “I feel like this is really
one of those proverbial — seemingly something coming out of
nowhere.”

At Ms. Giffords’s district office, a group of about 50 people
formed a prayer circle. Chris Cole, a Tucson police officer
whose neighborhood beat includes the district office, said of
the shooting, “This kind of thing just doesn’t happen in Tucson.”

Behind the office, in the parking lot, campaign volunteers stood
around a car with the door open, listening to a live radio
broadcast of a hospital news conference updating the
congresswoman’s condition. A cheer went up when it was announced
that she was still alive.

The volunteers included Kelly Canady and her mother, Patricia
Canady, both longtime campaign workers. Patricia Canedy had
worked for Ms. Giffords since she served in the State Senate
while Kelly, her daughter, moved to Tucson 13 years ago and was
active in last year’s campaign and in the health care debate.

“She’s one of those people who remembers you. She always spoke
to me by my first name,” Kelly Canady said. “She loved
everybody. She was very easy to talk to. She was one of the main
reasons I will stay involved in politics.”

Correction: January 9, 2011
An earlier version of this article misidentified two of the
people killed. They were Dorothy Morris, not Dorothy Murray, and
Dorwan Stoddard, not Dorwin Stoddard.

https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/us/politics/09giffords.html
 

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