US Congresswoman among 12 shot at in Arizona

Tucson: A federal judge was killed and a Congresswoman gravely wounded on Saturday in a shooting outside a Tucson, Arizona, grocery store, according to police and government officials.

In all, six people died and 12 were wounded in the shooting, including US Rep Gabrielle Giffords, D-Arizona, according to Rick Kastigar, Bureau Chief for the Pima County Sheriff's Department.

President Barack Obama later said Chief Judge John Roll of the US District Court for Arizona was among the dead.

Gabe Zimmerman, the director of community outreach in the congresswoman's Tuscon office, died in the attack, Giffords' press secretary CJ Karamargin said, as did a nine-year-old girl, according to authorities.

The girl is one of four victims whose identity has not yet been released.

An Arizona law enforcement source and a federal law enforcement source identified the suspect as Jared Lee Loughner. Other law enforcement sources put his age at 22. US Capitol Police said the suspect was in custody.

Police recovered a 9mm Glock Model 19 handgun, according to senior law enforcement sources. The weapon had a 30-round magazine, a federal law enforcement source briefed on the investigation said.

An Arizona law enforcement source told that Loughner is not talking to investigators and has invoked his right against self-incrimination.

Dr Peter Rhee of University Medical Center in Tucson, said Giffords, 40, had undergone surgery for a single gunshot to the head that passed through her brain. Giffords was among five patients listed in critical condition, Rhee said.

At least two victims with gunshot wounds were transported to another hospital, Northwest Medical Center, according to spokesman Richard Parker.

Kastigar declined to comment on a possible motive for the attack.

The attack occurred outside a Safeway grocery store where Giffords was holding a previously scheduled constituent meeting.

Giffords staffer Mark Kimble told that the Congresswoman did not have any security with her on Saturday morning, which was not unusual for her.

"She wants to be as accessible to the people who elected her as possible," Kimble said.

Karamargin said he was not aware of any call for Giffords to heighten her security measures because of recent threats.

Tucson police Chief Roberto Villasenor said his department had secured the homes and offices of some unnamed federal officials as a "precautionary measure."

Although US Capitol Police said there was no evidence of a broader threat involving federal officials, the agency said it had advised other members of Congress to take "reasonable and prudent precautions regarding their personal safety and security," the agency said in a statement.

Obama said he had directed FBI Director Robert Mueller to travel to Arizona to support the investigation. An FBI spokesman said the agency was sending agents to the scene,

Rhee, in a brief news conference at the hospital, said that Giffords had been moved to intensive care from surgery and said he was "very optimistic" about her recovery.

"I'm about as optimistic as it can get in this situation," he said.

He said the next 24 hours will be key for determining the extent of her recovery.

Giffords, a Democrat, was first elected in 2006. She has served as chairwoman of the House Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee and also holds seats on the House Science and Technology and Armed Services committees.

She won her third term in a closely contested race against a Tea Party-sponsored candidate and was one of three Democratic legislators who reported vandalism at their offices following the March vote on health care reform.

Obama called the attack an "unspeakable tragedy."

"We do not yet have all the answers," he said. What we do know is that such a senseless and terrible act of violence has no place in a free society."

House Speaker John Boehner said he was "horrified" by the shooting.

"An attack on one who serves is an attack on all who serve," he said. "Acts and threats of violence against public officials have no place in our society."

Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts issued a statement decrying the shootings and the loss of Roll, whom he called a "wise jurist who selflessly served Arizona and the nation with great distinction."

"Chief Judge Roll's death is a somber reminder of the rule of law and the sacrifices of those who work to secure it," Roberts said.