SHOOTING IN ARIZONA…. Here’s the last thread; I’m starting another.
Here’s a press conference currently being held by the local sheriff’s department. [This video actually now is just a running feed from the local NBC affiliate.]
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* Update: If you missed the press conference, the local sheriff’s office said the shooter is a 22-year-old male, in custody, with a limited criminal background. He used a “pistol with an extended magazine,” the sheriff said, and there’s no evidence yet of the shooter having an accomplice at the scene.
* Second Update: The trauma surgeon, in a briefing to reporters, said a young girl, around the age of nine, died in the shooting. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is out of surgery, and is “following commands.” The doctor said she is in critical condition, but he is “very optimistic.”
* Third Update: Multiple reports indicate that the suspected shooter’s name is Jared Loughner, or by some accounts, Jared Lee Loughner.
* Fourth Update: The trauma surgeon also noted Giffords was, in fact, shot in the head, but it was “thru and thru.”
* Fifth Update: In addition to the nine-year-old girl who was killed, the AP is reporting the U.S. District Court Judge John Roll died in the attack today. Roll had faced death threats in 2009 from right-wing extremists after a controversial immigration ruling.
* Sixth Update: President Obama is scheduled to deliver remarks any minute now:
* Seventh Update: I’m afraid I have to take off for a while, but I’d also note that TPM posted a collection of videos from YouTube that are believed to have been uploaded by the shooter. Not surprisingly, Loughner appears to be a deeply sick person, including accusing the government of, among other things, “mind control.”
* Eighth Update: The Hill has just reported that House Majority Leader Eric Cantor issued the following statement late this evening. “All legislation currently scheduled to be considered by the House of Representatives next week is being postponed so that we can take whatever actions may be necessary in light of today’s tragedy.” This includes the symbolic House vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act. [ –Mod]
