Crime

AP Recounts Grim Shooting Details, Profiles Gunman

TUCSON, Ariz. (The Blaze/AP) — The “shady individual” showed up at a public gathering for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords asking to see the lawmaker, according to event volunteer Alex Villec. Told he would have to wait his turn, the man left but returned minutes later and gunfire erupted.

The man, wearing a black cap and baggy pants and shirt, rushed by a table separating him and Giffords, raised an arm, and then came shots, Villec, 19, told The Associated Press.

Firing a semiautomatic weapon, the gunman targeted Giffords as she met with constituents around 10 a.m. Saturday outside a busy Tucson supermarket. Authorities said Arizona’s chief federal judge and five others were killed and 13 people were wounded, including the Democrat lawmaker.

He also fired at her district director and shot indiscriminately at staffers and others standing in line to talk to the congresswoman, said Mark Kimble, a communications staffer for Giffords.

“He was not more than three or four feet from the congresswoman and the district director,” Kimble said, describing the scene as “just complete chaos, people screaming, crying.”

Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik said the rampage ended only after two people tackled the gunman.

“He was definitely on a mission,” said Villec, a former Giffords intern.

Police say the shooter was in custody, and was identified by people familiar with the investigation as Jared Loughner, 22. U.S. officials who provided his name to the AP spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release it publicly.

His motivation was not immediately known, but Dupnik described him as mentally unstable and possibly acting with an accomplice. His office said a man possibly associated with the suspect who was near the scene was being sought. The man, who was photographed by a security camera, was described as white with dark hair and 40-45 years old:

AP Recounts Grim Shooting Details, Profiles Gunman

The assassination attempt left the three-term congresswoman in critical condition after a bullet passed through her head.

The accused killer is 22-year-old Justin Loughner. He’s suspected of killing six people and wounding Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, and was decribed as a disturbed young man who was rejected by the military and frequently disrupted his college class.

The Tucson neighbors of the 22-year-old Loughner said he often kept to himself – not hostile to anyone but certainly not warming up to anyone, either.

“He was a guy in high school who definitely had his opinions on stuff and didn’t seem to care what people thought of him,” said Grant Wiens, 22, who told The Associated Press he went to high school and had a class at Pima Community College with Loughner.

Loughner was in custody after authorities said he opened fire outside a grocery store as Giffords, a Democrat, met with voters. The rampage killed six people including Arizona’s chief federal judge. Giffords was among 13 people wounded.

Authorities said the accused gunman targeted the three-term congresswoman, but an exact motivation was not immediately known. Many questioned whether the nation’s polarized political climate had played a role, even as Loughner’s political views remained unclear late Saturday.

Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik described the gunman as mentally unstable and said he possibly acted with an accomplice.

Lynda Sorenson said she took a math class with Loughner last summer at Pima Community College’s Northwest campus and told the Arizona Daily Star he was “obviously very disturbed.”

“He disrupted class frequently with nonsensical outbursts,” she said.

In a Dec. 15 YouTube video, Loughner describes himself as a U.S. military recruit.

Federal law enforcement officials poured over versions of a MySpace page that belonged to Loughner and over a YouTube video published weeks ago under an account “Classitup10” and linked to him. The MySpace page, which was removed within minutes of the gunman being identified by officials, included a mysterious “Goodbye friends” message published hours before the shooting and exhorted his friends to “Please don’t be mad at me.”

On his MySpace page, Loughner spoke of how he liked to read and he also wrote repeatedly about literacy, complaining that the rate was especially low in the congressional district where he lived.

“The majority of people, who reside in District-8 are illiterate hilarious. I don’t control your English grammar structure, but you control your English grammar structure,” he said.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Wiens also said Loughner used to speak critically about religion. He also talked about how he liked to smoke pot.

“He wasn’t really too keen on religion it seemed like,” Grant Wiens, 22, told The Associated Press. “I don’t know if floating through life is the right term or whatever, but he was really just into doing his own thing.”

Loughner’s MySpace profile indicated he attended and graduated from school in northwest Tucson and had taken college classes. He did not say if he was employed.

Tamara Crawley, director of the Marana Unified School District in Tucson, said Loughner attended Mountain View High School in Tucson for three years but withdrew after completing his junior year in 2006. Crawley did not know why Loughner had withdrawn from Mountain View High and it was not clear if he had transferred to another school in the area.

The Army released a statement indicating Loughner was not accepted.

In October 2007, Loughner was cited in Pima County for possession of drug paraphernalia, which was dismissed after he completed a diversion program, according to online records.

A year later he was charged with an unknown “local charge” in Marana near Tucson. That charge was also dismissed following the completion of a diversion program in March 2009, the Daily Star reported.

Ryan Miller, 19, was a sophomore at Mountain View when Loughner was a senior. He said Loughner was seemed like a normal kid.

“I was in shock,” he said, describing his reaction to the shooting. “I didn’t know what possessed someone our age to do something like this.”

The Associated Press Contributed to this report.

Comments (54)

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  • ensemble
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 11:18pm

    It is not really a political issue. This shooter used political rants and blaming in order to defend his own failure. His personal failure is the root of the problem. He was rejected from school, rejected from the military, rejected with the ladies, etc. He could not face his own failures, so ranted about the communist manifesto, yammered about the government, blah, blah. He really was finding ways to make people think he was smart and make people think that he mattered. He was envious of other peoples success and lashed out because he is a nobody who wanted to be a somebody and was just a failure.

    Report Post »  
  • Alvin691
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 8:26pm

    White Suprimist FAIL:

    New details are emerging about Loughner as a law enforcement memo based on information provided by the Department of Homeland Security and obtained by Fox News suggests he may have ties to the American Renaissance group, though it’s unclear if he was directly affiliated with the publication or group.

    The Southern Poverty Law Center describes the group as “white nationalist” whose leader, Jared Taylor, is “a kind of modern-day version of the refined but racist colonialist of old.”

    The memo states that there is “no direct connection” between Loughner and the group, “but strong suspicion is being directed at AmRen / American Renaissance. Suspect is possibly linked to this group. (through videos posted on his MySpace and YouTube account.). The group’s ideology is anti-government, anti-immigration, anti-ZOG (Zionist Occupational Government), anti-Semitic.”

    The memo also includes information about the suspect’s mother, who works for the Pima County Board of Supervisors and notes that Loughner has multiple arrests but no criminal record.

    But Taylor, a 1973 graduate in philosophy from Yale University, told Fox News on Sunday that he had never heard of Loughner until Saturday and has checked the group’s records going back 20 years and has not found any subscriptions for Loughner to American Renaissance publications.

    He added he has no indication that Loughner ever attended any of the group’s events, which have been held on the East Coast where the organization is based.

    Taylor also denied references to the group as being “anti-ZOG.”

    “That is complete nonsense,” he said. “I have absolutely no idea what DHS is talking about. We have never used the term ‘ZOG.’ We have never thought in those terms. If this is the level of research we are getting from DHS, then heaven help us,” he said.

    Any why is Fox using the SPLC as a reference, as they are a crackpot leftist group.

    Report Post »  
  • Ruler4You
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 6:06pm

    It’s interesting that the U.S. has so much interest in this kind of stuff but has no interest in identifying mentally challenged people and then doing something about them before they act out in a socially irresponsible way.

    Like it’s too much work to get out in front of the problem. Which makes me think that it really is too much work for our “brainiacs” who think little of the rest of us in the first place.

    Report Post » Ruler4You  
  • thejackal
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 5:38pm

    Kieth Olberwoman’s next piece is going to be on Mind Control and if Sara Palin used mind control and remote viewing to insitigate the attack on the Congresswoman… This guys is such an f’n tool!

    Report Post » thejackal  
  • SilentReader
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 5:18pm

    The gunman Jared Lee Loughner’s profile pic from his MySpace profile (it was scrubbed from MySpace today shortly after he attempted to assassinate Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords).

    http://hillbuzz.org/2011/01/08/my-congresswoman-voted-against-nancy-pelosi-and-is-now-dead-to-me-eerie-daily-kos-hit-piece-on-gabrielle-giffords-just-two-days-before-assassination-attempt-on-her/

    Report Post » SilentReader  
  • stacybernardslay
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 1:41pm

    the AP seems to have left “the Communist Manifesto” off of his reading list.

    Report Post »  
  • scorpion1
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 1:39pm

    First, my sympathy goes out to all the victims and their families, especially the parents of the 9 year old girl killed in this tragic event. The media response is no surprise. They are so quick to blame right wing conservatism that it is sickening. From what I have read this person was no right wing believer. It appears he should never have been allowed on the streets unaccompanied and in all likelihood should have been institutionalized for tgreatment. A comment made above by ROB hit the bullseye (sorry for the use of that word) but he is right. The school system is very protective of disturbed individuals. Even the court system does not allow for juvenile records to be made public, even though the individual is violent and commits violent crimes. The public must be made aware of these persons, regardless of their age. This liberalism in it’s brightest glory. There is only one person responsibled for this tragedy and that is Jared Loughner. Other things may have contributed but he and he alone is responsible.

    Scorpion1

    Report Post »  
  • kfrederic
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 12:41pm

    This was not about politics except to the extent “political correctness” has crippled our ability to act according to what we all know to be common sense. From all I have read and heard, Loughner was identifiable as a sociopath and well known to be one. Perhaps AZ doesn‘t do background checks for handgun purchases but if they do then what good are such checks if they don’t both keep a Loughner from buying a handgun with a high capacity magazine and elevate law enforcement attention toward him? I don’t profess to have a solution but there can be no doubt this individual should neither have had access to a gun nor have been allowed to move about without supervision. Until we have the will to profile, identify, and quarantine profoundly damaged intellects like Loughner I fear we’ll live with this kind of mindless violence.

    Report Post » kfrederic  
  • BeckIsControlled
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 12:33pm

    There is no difference between the Right Wing or Left Wing, they are both fraudulent, corrupt branches of the same system which is designed to keep you from focusing on the real issues. Get the truth from http://www.infowars.com which is the site that Glen Beck is emulating in an attempt to control its message. Cut out the controlled middleman and go directly to infowars.com, the only real patriot site because it is not democrat and not republican.

    Report Post » BeckIsControlled  
    • Bob_R_OathKeeper
      Posted on January 9, 2011 at 2:14pm

      ……. and you copy infowars, now STFU already, moron.

      Report Post » Bob_R_OathKeeper  
    • thejackal
      Posted on January 9, 2011 at 5:35pm

      You are a moron, the leftists are marxist filth that are trying to destroy American and ‘fundalmentaly transform’ it into their ‘marxist utopia’… The conservatives, mostly right wing republicans are trying to stop the pinko commie scum from achieving their goal. You are a sick twisted individual, who is obviously a liberal that can’t stomache their true colors. Viva America!!! Down with all Pinko filth that is trying to usurp the constitution.

      Report Post » thejackal  
  • BECKI5NUT5
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 12:31pm

    Being BECKISNUTS, I WAS going to TRY and link this shooter with the Tea Baggers, but then I figured, it may not work since he was anti-religion, hated the flag enough to burn it, and hated Jews (the congresswoman is Jewish). Since I’m still on my medications, and my Mommy and doctor say they are working, I have to say, truthfully, THAT is about as far from CONSERVATIVES and TEA PARTY people as one can get.

    Report Post » BECKI5NUT5  
    • Alvin691
      Posted on January 9, 2011 at 8:27pm

      Try this: He is a liberal. See, that was easy.

      Report Post »  
  • Diane TX
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 12:29pm

    The AP article seems to name him “Justin”. I thought his name is “Jared”. ???

    Report Post »  
  • GOTT-EM-MAUSER
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 12:29pm

    All this Hullabaloo about his personal politics is really irrelevant. We are at the beginning of a Second Civil War in this country. Which side fired the first shot won’t really matter to anyone other than the Historians that write about it. Since this first shot has now been fired, both sides would do well to concentrate on being the MOST EFFICIENT at finishing it.

    Report Post »  
  • bloptop
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 11:59am

    Lougher is tied to a radical right wing white supremacy group called American Reinassance….can somebody say TEA ******

    Report Post » bloptop  
  • Carl McPherson
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 11:53am

    AZ Shooter; Pelosi supporter.
    http://free-speech-while-it-lasts.blogspot.com/2011/01/arizona-shooter-nancy-pelosi-supporter.html

    Report Post » Carl McPherson  
    • DearLeader
      Posted on January 9, 2011 at 12:55pm

      Carl, your “evidence” does not support your headline: Arizona Shooter: Nancy Pelosi Supporter – Felt Betrayed

      So, a poster called Blue Boy states: “Congressman Giffords is dead to me now. I won’t lift a finger, make one phone call, nor will I EVER vote for her in the future.”

      1. Blue Boy’s post is NOT a call to violence. Not supporting a candidate in the future cannot be equated with assassination.

      2. Can you show that Blue Boy is Jarod Loughner?

      Not sure what light of truth you think your torch is illuminating….

      Report Post »  
    • Vie_En_Ras
      Posted on January 9, 2011 at 4:52pm

      Dearleader:

      Then by your same logic Sarah Palin‘s ’target’ map is of the same “illuminating torch of truth”. Such is the previously “targeted” people (including Rep. Gabrielle Gifford) the Daily Kos reported in 2008. Those are not inciting violence, but pointing out areas of which was needed concentration to obtain specific political leanings. No one intended a murderous result when putting things up like that. Funny things about pendulums – they swing both ways.

      I really wish people would quit about who was of what political leaning and who said what out of context crap. This was a horrible event that happened and we need to gather together to denounce these happenings – not separate and point fingers at each other. The blood is only on the shooter’s hands – no one else and all these blame-games are making me sick. Citizens of the US who are playing these games should be deeply ashamed of themselves. Grown-ups should NOT act like children on the playground trying to avoid getting in trouble with the teacher.

      As for your question: “2. Can you show that Blue Boy is Jarod Loughner?” – it is not Loughner. The poster “Blue Boy” is still active on the Kos today. If it were Loughner, he would not be posting (of course). However, I wish he would learn a lesson of how sickening it is to take something out of context and turn it against someone having been at the end of the media’s/bloggers’ sights (no, I am not advocating the media or bloggers to shoot people, it’s a figure of speech). Of course, he probably hasn’t and probably will still continue to do the same as that has been done to him.

      Could we all take a breather and agree to simmer down so the truth may be known??

      Report Post » Vie_En_Ras  
  • bloptop
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 11:53am

    Just came in on Foxnews…..FBI discovered Lougher is tied to the radical conservative white supremacy group American Renaissance, so all of you claiming hes a marxist can stop making false accusations

    Report Post » bloptop  
    • mcpbob
      Posted on January 9, 2011 at 12:02pm

      except that group has never heard of him…….. nice try

      Report Post » mcpbob  
    • walkwithme1966
      Posted on January 9, 2011 at 12:13pm

      Excuse me but American Renaissance does have a web site. http://wp.me/pYLB7-v9

      Report Post » walkwithme1966  
    • mcpbob
      Posted on January 9, 2011 at 12:48pm

      NEver said the group does’nt have a web site, the group says they don’t know the shooter.. and have no record of him what so ever. so you can point your finger any way you want but lets be clear of what the facts are or are not.

      Report Post » mcpbob  
    • Bob_R_OathKeeper
      Posted on January 9, 2011 at 2:13pm

      Nice try, phucking moron, stupid leftist is what he is, get over it, punk.

      Report Post » Bob_R_OathKeeper  
  • BurntHills
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 11:50am

    while all of the people who KNEW the shooter say he was a LEFT WINGER.

    get ready for the wild obama democrat backlash because they are trying to paint the shooter as a Beck-Palin-Rush-Fox supporter.

    Report Post » BurntHills  
  • TXMD
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 11:50am

    Another “loner” motivated by God-knows-what. Likely a demonic influence here, but an evil that personified itself in this turd’s behavior. However, we are given a free will and the ability to assess consequences and choose right or wrong. This person / these persons(?) chose evil. There has been a great deal of fertile ground around here since we elected to remove God and/or moral codes and choices from education in both school, life in general and the family. What can you expect with no overarching moral code of civilized behavior. The LEFT has been calling for a “revolt” and “violence” for some months now. I’m afraid that this horrible act could be the Reichstag event.

    Report Post » TXMD  
  • Tyr
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 11:50am

    MK Ultra

    Report Post » Tyr  
  • Carbine1
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 11:39am

    First of al I think it is time for Clarence Dupnik to retire and second the PIMA county police department should be investigated to attempt to uncover. open ties with the OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA adminstration. She[Gabrielle Giffords is a very conservative democrat] and the evidence of Her attempted assassination points to the OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA administrations Disagreements with HER [Mrs Gifford] politically. After all [on most issues the communists disagree with ] SHE[Mrs Gifford] votes against their policy of GOVERNMENT control. Congresswoman Gifford is a blue dog democrat and she is proud of it and the OBAMA followers don’t like it. She wasn’t voted out of office like ALOT of communists were.

    Report Post »  
  • makom
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 11:30am

    Why do so many people in the Press act so surprised about this shooting. The American people have watched this Democratic Congress, Senate and White house for the past 2 years. The whole lot of them turned a blind eye to the American People. With millions of people out of work and no future; The odds are that People will want to give a pay back and make a statement that will be heard. It is a sad thing when lives are destroyed and ended. If you do the will of the people then you will have nothing to fear. Otherwise there is nothing that can protect you from people who have no future and nothing left to live for. I am sorry but these things have been brewing for quite some time. I have prayed for the shooter to be forgiven for the lives that were ended and that he may have peace.

    Report Post »  
  • koyettsu
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 11:26am

    Hates religion, read communist propaganda, shot a bunch of people =’s Progressive

    Report Post »  
  • BlackCrow
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 11:17am

    This is what happens when they close down the insane asylums. Don’t blame conservatives for the false compassion of the left

    Report Post » BlackCrow  
    • Outside Looking In
      Posted on January 9, 2011 at 11:37am

      Count the bullets.
      Check the ballistics.
      Reports are pointing to a second shooter.
      Watch the other hand.

      Report Post »  
    • Shoshanna
      Posted on January 10, 2011 at 2:32am

      Blackcrow, you are absolutely correct. That is just what I told my daughter a few days ago. Closing down the insane asylums was one huge mistake.

      Report Post » Shoshanna  
  • Kentucky Momma
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 11:12am

    Glad someone jumped him,who knows how many others could have died if they had not, nowadays it would be considered politically incorrect to jump someone.

    Report Post » Kentucky Momma  
  • wisehiney
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 11:11am

    Fry him quick Arizona, before the liberals save him.

    Report Post »  
  • Rob
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 11:08am

    I work with kids and there are several that worry us and would not surprise us if they killed someone, and everyone is aware of them, including psychologists, but they are protected by the liberal school system. At the local school recently, a kid stabbed another kid, but, becuase he was “special education”, nothing happened to him and he was put right back at the school. It wasn’t his fault you see, it was his disability. God save us all.

    Report Post »  
    • CatB
      Posted on January 9, 2011 at 11:26am

      The AP story on the front page of my local paper immediently went to quotes regarding “divisive polititics” and Pima County Sherrif Clarence Dupnik “vitriolic political rhetoric” … which was clearly not ment to mean the left and their calls for violence which have gone unreported by the AP… when are we going to get something besides AP spin? .. in our newpapers .. or should I just give up and cancel .. honestly I only get it for the Sunday coupons and local news and even that is slanted left.

      Report Post »  
    • Ray2447
      Posted on January 9, 2011 at 11:27am

      When I first heard the left attacking everyone and anyone to the right of far left, I had to wonder about their foolishness and hypocrisy, not to mention all the vitriolic hate that is purposefully fanned in college and university classrooms – ON THE TAXPAYER’S DIME. What was this wacko’s school background. I heard something about he dropped out. Obviously, he wasn’t on the best of terms with his teachers. Why? What was going on there???

      Report Post »  
    • CatB
      Posted on January 9, 2011 at 11:31am

      ROB .. I heard a report that he “lives with his parents” … if that is true why didn’t they do something? .. can‘t tell me they didn’t notice he was “special” …. just this week another mother alerted authorities that her son was mentally unstable and taking “jihad” … too bad these parents didn’t do the same .. it would be interesting to know if they tried to get help for him.

      Report Post »  
    • CatB
      Posted on January 9, 2011 at 11:33am

      Two interesting articles …

      http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=41071#

      http://hillbuzz.org/2011/01/08/my-congresswoman-voted-against-nancy-pelosi-and-is-now-dead-to-me-eerie-daily-kos-hit-piece-on-gabrielle-giffords-just-two-days-before-assassination-attempt-on-her/

      Report Post »  
    • RightWrite
      Posted on January 9, 2011 at 12:13pm

      Confirmed that shooter is Leftist radical = http://tinyurl.com/23c4xtd

      Report Post » RightWrite  
    • RightPolitically
      Posted on January 9, 2011 at 12:29pm

      Rob, The Left is always quick to blame violence on conservatives, facts be damned. The reason is simple, truth means nothing to leftists. They believe in leniency at all costs, even when the costs are high like this. So, yes, you are right. Liberals run the schools and control the measures of punishment in those schools. And real punishment is NEVER administered!

      Report Post » RightPolitically  
    • mcfinch
      Posted on January 9, 2011 at 12:46pm

      It is very hard to tell when someone will lash out.

      http://politicalbowl.com – Political Video Website

      Report Post » mcfinch  
    • 912828Buckeye
      Posted on January 9, 2011 at 4:25pm

      Nice web site CATB,thanks

      Report Post » 912828Buckeye  
    • proudpatriot77
      Posted on January 9, 2011 at 4:33pm

      Catb–thanks for the posted links. very interesting. you are spot on and I couldnt agree more

      Report Post »  
  • Taquoshi
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 3:36pm

    And I hear that his fellow inmates are such souls of compassion, goodness and light. They are particularly interested in those who have committed crimes against children, so I bet they are already making up a bunk for this fellow, fluffing his pillow and stealing a candy mint to leave on it for him.

    Report Post » Taquoshi  
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