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| -Lurid Crime Tales- | ||||
| Update on Giffords shooting | ||||
| 2011-01-09 | ||||
The attack by a suspect authorities described as having a "troubled past" took place outside a supermarket where Gabrielle Giffords, a 40-year-old Democrat, was meeting with constituents. Among the dead were a federal judge and a 9-year-old girl. Officials said 12 people were wounded. The suspected gunman, identified by a federal law enforcement official as Jared Lee Loughner, 22, opened fire with a semi-automatic pistol at point-blank range. The suspect was tackled to the ground by two bystanders after the shooting and was in custody. Giffords, beginning her third term in the House of Representatives, was in critical condition after surgery at Tucson University Medical Center and doctors said they were cautiously optimistic about her prospects for recovery.
"(The suspect) has kind of a troubled past and we're not convinced that he acted alone," Dupnik told a news conference. Authorities were seeking a second man in connection with the shooting, he said. Dupnik said the suspect had made threats to kill in the past but not against Giffords. "All I can tell you is that this person may have a mental issue," Dupnik said. Dr. Steven Rayle, who helped restrain the gunman, told CNN he was dressed in a shabby manner but looked focused as he fired indiscriminately into the crowd. President Barack Obama sent FBI Director Robert Mueller to Arizona to oversee the investigation, telling reporters, "We don't yet know what provoked this unspeakable act." "The surgeons I spoke to are cautiously optimistic (that Giffords will survive)," Richard Carmona, a former U.S. surgeon general and family friend, told the Tucson news conference. "With guarded optimism I hope she will survive." Giffords was hosting a "Congress on Your Corner" event -- public gatherings to give her constituents a chance to talk directly with her -- when the gunman attacked from about 4 feet away, National Public Radio said. He approached Giffords from behind, firing at least 20 shots at her and others in the crowd, MSNBC said, citing law enforcement officials and witnesses.
Police have one suspect in custody, 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner, whom they believe was the gunman. Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik said authorities believe another individual may have been involved. "We're not convinced he acted alone," Dupnik said of the suspect in custody. "There's some reason to believe that he came to this location with another individual." He declined to offer details.
After Giffords fell, he said, a number of people near Giffords sought to flee but were trapped--hemmed in by the table and a concrete post. The gunman fired into the crowd, he said. "It was so close, and sort of a tight thing, there was nowhere easy to run," Rayle said. "So most of the crowd got it, you know." "People that were there were just sitting ducks," Rayle said. "I don't think he was even aiming. He was just firing at whatever." After a few seconds, Rayle said, the man stopped shooting and tried to flee. According to law enforcement sources, the gun used in the shooting was purchased legally on Nov. 30 at Sportman's Warehouse, 3945 W. Cosco Dr. in Tucson. Store manager Reese Widmier said the store has been in business for five years. "It' a horrible incident," he said. "This stuff should never happen. We're cooperating with the ATF and all the federal agencies to help with this tragic incident." | ||||
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #3 Some stories have identified his gun as a Glock 9mm. Range was about 4 feet. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2011-01-09 04:56 |
| #2 Cranial exit wound can relieve pressure and save a life. Potential brein dammage is obviously another issue entirely. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2011-01-09 01:59 |
| #1 He must have used the wrong type of ammo and/or too powerful a gun if the bullet passed clear through her head and out the other side, or maybe he just grazed her brain. |
| Posted by: gorb 2011-01-09 01:26 |