PHOENIX – Saturday morning in Tucson at about 10:11 a.m., a 22-year-old man walked into an event, “Congress on Your Corner,” hosted by 8th Congressional District Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and shot 20 people, including Giffords.

Six people died.

The event was held at the Safeway store on Oracle Road in Tucson.

The shooter Jared Lee Loughner, of North Soledad Ave. in Tucson, is currently charged with five federal crimes for attacking five federal employees. Loughner is charged with killing Federal Judge John M. Roll and Gabe Zimmerman, a Giffords staff member.

Loughner is accused of attempting to kill Congresswoman Giffords, and two of her staff members: Pamela Simon and Ron Barber. All three were shot.

The other people killed by Loughner were Phyllis Schneck, Dorothy Morris, Dorwan Stoddard and 9-year-old Christine Green.

Loughner had been invited to attend a “Congress on the Corner” event held by Giffords in August 2007 at the Foothills Mall in Tucson. Investigators found that Loughner had written “I planned ahead,” and “My assassination” and “Giffords” along with what appears to be Loughner’s signature on an envelope he had in a safe at his home. 

Loughner had purchased the Glock handgun he allegedly used in the attack on Nov. 30 from the Sportsman’s Warehouse in Tucson.

Beyond some incoherent ramblings by Loughner on social media websites, little is known of the motive or causes for the seemingly senseless attack. Mirroring the stages of grief, the media/political punditry responses went swiftly from shock and disbelief to anger and blame laying. The tone and tenor of current political discourse was blamed by many; Sarah Palin’s use of a bulls-eye graphic to point out her political (targets) opponents (including Congresswoman Giffords) was blamed.    

Government officials responded quickly to the tragedy, most trying to make sense of the nonsense.

“Caryll and I send our most heartfelt condolences to the family of Judge John Roll and the others who were killed and injured today in Tucson. Judge Roll, who presided over the federal District Court in Arizona, was an exceptional judge and a good friend.

“We pray for the recovery of Representative Giffords and the others who remain in critical condition.  Congresswoman Giffords is also a good friend, and I find it especially saddening that such a heinous crime would occur while she was fulfilling her congressional responsibilities.

“All of us will work to ensure that justice will be served fully and swiftly.”

— Senator Jon Kyl

“I learned about the shooting as we gathered with Republicans from all over Maricopa County for our organizational meeting.  We immediately suspended all activities and we had a moment of silence for all of the victims and prayed for the families of those who died or were injured in this senseless act. This is an attack on everything we stand for.  Some of these families will never recover and will be victims for the rest of their lives.

 “Violence has no place in politics in Arizona or America. This is a very sad day for our state.”

— Arizona Senate President-elect Russell Pearce

“I am just heartbroken. Gabby is more than just a colleague, she is my friend.  She has always been a noble public servant.  My thoughts and prayers are with Congresswoman Giffords and her family, the Congresswoman’s staff and their families, and well as the other victims of this senseless and cruel violence.”

— Arizona Governor Jan Brewer

“Today we experienced a horrible act of violence in our state, the details of which we are still trying to process. My deepest prayers, as well as those of my colleagues, go out to Congresswoman Giffords, her family and today’s other victims at this tragic time. We are all hoping for the best outcome and anxious to see the congresswoman and other victims recover.”

— State Rep. Kirk Adams, Speaker of the House

“Senseless acts of violence like these are shocking, disturbing and have no place in our country.  The thoughts and prayers of all Arizonans are with the victims and families during this terrible tragedy in our state’s history.  We sincerely hope that the responsible party is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

— Arizona GOP Chairman Randy Pullen

“Today’s attack upon Congresswoman Giffords, staff and others attending her event in Tucson was senseless and vile. There is no twisted logic to explain this shooting, nor is there any justification. We have no room for violence in our political culture.”

— Arizona Secretary of State, Ken Bennett

“During any election, differences in political ideology and policies can seem insurmountable. However, these disagreements are minor in the grand scheme, and should not cloud the fact that we are one Arizona community, and we need to support our own.

“...we wish to strongly condemn the actions of the shooter. No matter what his motivation, there is no excuse for using violence against our people. As a group of college students who are politically inclined, it is disturbing to see one of our elected officials and her supporters attacked. We cannot assign blame for this tragedy, but we can only issue a call for increased civility and a commitment for non-violence from our end.”

— The Arizona Federation of College Republicans

Reach the reporter at tcorrigan@wmicentral.com