Monday, January 10th, 2011 VOA News The 22-year-old man accused of shooting U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona will appear in a federal court in Phoenix on Monday.
Jared Loughner , is charged with one count of attempted assassination of a member of Congress, two counts of killing an employee of the federal government and two counts of attempting to kill a federal employee.
Six people died in the mass shooting Saturday at a grocery store in Tucson , where Giffords, a Democrat, was meeting with constituents. The victims include a nine-year-old girl, a federal judge, and a congressional staff member.
Medical authorities on Sunday said
Dr. Peter Rhee of Arizona's University Medical Center told reporters Giffords is in a medically induced coma as she begins to recover from surgery. But he said she has been following simple commands.
Police say a woman waiting in line to meet Giffords grabbed the ammunition clip out of Loughner's hand as he paused to reload the gun. Two other bystanders then tackled the gunman, who was apprehended at the scene.
Doctors said of the 14 people injured, only Giffords remains in critical condition.
In several YouTube videos, a person who posted under the name Jared Loughner criticizes the government and calls for a new currency. Law enforcement officials say they are investigating the videos.
Last March, Giffords was one of at least 10 House Democrats harassed for their support of the U.S. health care reform legislation. The front door of her office in Tucson was shattered in an act of vandalism.
In November, Giffords was re-elected to a third term in the House of Representatives. She was first elected to Congress in 2006.
U.S. Capitol police responded to the shooting by advising lawmakers and their staff to “take reasonable and prudent precautions regarding their personal security.”
U.S. President Barack Obama has called for a moment of silence on Monday to honor the victims of the shooting in Arizona that critically injured U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and killed six others.
Mr. Obama said Sunday he will observe the moment of silence with staff members at the White House Monday morning (11 a.m. Washington time). He also said the flags at the White House and other public and military buildings will be lowered to half-staff for the next week.
Also Sunday, House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said that House votes scheduled for this week, including one to repeal President Obama's health care law, will be postponed.
A senior House Democrat, Steny Hoyer, said the House of Representatives will on Wednesday honor Giffords and the other victims of the rampage.
Referring to the shooting, Speaker Boehner said no act, no matter how heinous, should stop Congress from doing its duty.
On Saturday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called the violence a “national tragedy.”
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer has said all of Arizona is deeply saddened by the incident. She described Giffords as a noble and gracious public servant.