Police: Security Footage Shows AZ Judge Died Saving Another Man

Last week he was called "fair" and "just." Today, Judge John Roll, the federal judge killed in the Tucson shooting, is being called a hero.

Police say security footage from the Safeway store where the shooting occurred shows accused gunman Jared Loughner walking up to Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and shooting here at close range -- the video shows only a wisp of her hair, however. Loughner then turns and begins firing indiscriminately into the crowd.

"He wheels this direction and that direction firing," Chris Nanos, a captain with the Pima County Sheriff's Department who has viewed the video, told the Wall Street Journal.

The Journal explains what happens next in the video with 63-year-old Judge Rolls:

As the shooting starts, the video shows Judge Roll pushing another man, Rob Barber, onto the ground, Mr. Nanos said. "It looks to us as though he is pushing against Ron Barber to move him out of the way." Both men fall to the ground; both are shot. The judge was shot in the back and died.

The New York Times quotes Richard Kastigar, another investigator in the case, in explaining the incident this way:

The judge guides Mr. Barber to the ground, shields him with his body, and then tries to push himself and Mr. Barber away from the gunman, who was no more than three to four feet away as he fired, Mr. Kastigar said.

“He pushes Mr. Barber with his right hand and guides him with his left hand. The judge was on top of him and is covering up Mr. Barber, literally lying on top of him, and his back was exposed,” Mr. Kastigar said.

"It's pretty evident to me that Judge Roll was a hero … if Judge Roll had not pushed Mr. Barber his wounds might have been fatal," Nanos told the Journal . "Judge Roll's actions are of a man trying to save another man's life."

While the video shows Barber, Loughner, and Roll, the camera's angle blocks other victims from view. However, the video does lead investigators to think that Giffords was the target because it shows a man running past a concrete pillar, and shooting Giffords at close range.

"There's no hesitation. Once he gets around the pillar, it's obvious what his intent is. That's why we believe his target was exactly who we thought it was," Nanos told the Journal.

The FBI is currently reviewing the video.