Arizona Democrat Representative Gabrielle Giffords Among 18 Shot Outside Tucson Supermarket; Six Dead; Giffords Remains In Critical Condition; Suspected Shooter Jared Lee Loughner In Custody; Police Search For Second Suspect

Saturday, Arizona Representative Gabrielle (Gabby) Giffords was among 18 others shot when a gunman opened fire outside an area Safeway supermarket, at an event – Congress on Your Corner - coordinated by Giffords, a Democrat, to meet her constituents, the New York Times reports. A 22 year old – identified as Jared Lee Loughner of Arizona – was in custody, although late Saturday, authorities said they were searching for a second suspect, an accomplice. Six of the victims have died, among them John M. Roll, the chief judge of the United States District Court for the District of Arizona, and a 9 year old girl. The 40 year old Giffords was the target of the attack, and late Saturday she remains in very critical condition at the University Medical Center in Tucson, where earlier she underwent surgery, shot once in the head, “through and through,” the bullet have passed through her brain. Mark Kimble, an aide to Giffords, said the shooting occurred around 10:00 am in a small area that had been set up between an American flag and an Arizona flag. He said that Ms. Giffords had just been talking to an elderly couple about Medicare and reimbursements, when Loughner walked up and calmly shot Judge Roll. Dr. Rhee, the medial director of the hospital’s critical care and trauma unit, said at a news conference “I can tell you at this time, I am very optimistic about her recovery,” adding “We cannot tell what kind of recovery but I’m as optimistic as it can get in this kind of situation.” At a separate news conference Saturday, Sherriff Dupnik said that there was “some reason to believe” that the suspect in custody did not act alone, and said officials were searching for a second suspect, a 50 year old white male. He added that the suspected shooter had a “troubled past” and had come to the attention of law enforcement authorities previously. Of note, Dupnik, while stopping short of offering an explanation for the shooting, said “The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous. And unfortunately, I think Arizona has become sort of the capital, we have become the Mecca for prejudice and bigotry. There’s reason to believe that this individual might have a mental issue, and I think that people who are unbalanced might be especially susceptible to vitriol.” Ms. Giffords, who represents Arizona’s Eighth District in the south-eastern corner of the state, has been an outspoken critic of Arizona’s tough immigration law, which is focused on identifying, prosecuting and deporting illegal immigrants, and she had come under criticism for her vote in favour of the Democrats’ health care law, in particular by members of the Tea Party nationwide, as well as fringe members of the Republican Party. Ms. Giffords is also an outspoken advocate of gay rights, on December 18, the Saturday Congress finally voted to repeal the military policy prohibiting openly gay service personal, she tweeted “DADT finally repealed! Celebration across Arizona skies tonight. What a glorious day,” and included a photograph of the sky at sunset.