Giffords Shooting: 19 Shot in Tucson, 6 Dead

By Anissa Tanweer

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Just after 10:00 Saturday morning, U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was greeting constituents outside a Safeway grocery store northwest of Tucson when a gunman fired on the small crowd. Using a semi-automatic weapon with an extended magazine, he shot 19 people before two men tackled him to the ground and subdued him.

Five individuals died on the scene and ten others were rushed to University Medical Center at the University of Arizona. A 9-year-old girl died of a gunshot wound at the hospital, becoming the sixth fatality in the shooting. Five other patients are currently in critical condition, including Giffords.

While Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik would not comment on the motives of the suspect, he was fairly confident that the shooter had targeted Giffords. U.S. District Judge John Roll was among those slain in the parking lot after making an apparently unscheduled stop to see the councilwoman, a long-time friend of his.

Investigators are searching for a second person of interest in the shooting, who is still at large. There is “some reason to believe [the suspect] came to the scene with another individual,” says Dupnik. The Sheriff revealed that investigators have photographs of this individual, described as a white male in his 50’s. They are also currently looking into a “suspicious package” found at Giffords’ headquarters today.

The Pima County Sheriff Department and the FBI are conducting a joint investigation into the shootings, with assistance from other law enforcement agencies.

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Follow this link to read the federal complaint against Jared Lee Loughner, the suspected shooter in Saturday’s killings.

Follow this link to read a report on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords medical condition as of Saturday.

Follow this link to watch a video of the press conference at the University Medical Center regarding the medical condition of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

Follow this link to read a report on Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik’s comments on the shooting and the shooter.

Follow this link to read a detailed report on the shooting.

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