A US grand jury has indicted suspected Arizona shooter Jared Loughner for trying to kill US Representative Gabrielle Giffords, officials said, as the lawmaker’s stunning recovery continued.
US Attorney for Arizona Dennis Burke stressed that the three indictment counts were “just the beginning” of legal action against Loughner, accused over the Jan. 8 shooting spree that killed six people and injured 13.
“We are in the early stages of this ongoing investigation,” he said on Wednesday, adding that Loughner, 22, could face the death penalty for some of the crimes allegedly committed.
“Today’s charges are just the beginning of our legal action and we are working diligently to ensure that our investigation is thorough and that justice is done for the victims and their families,” Burke said.
Loughner was detained at the scene of the shooting at the “Congress on Your Corner” public meeting Giffords was holding, which triggered a wave of soul-searching over the US’ starkly divisive politics.
Giffords was shot in the head at point-blank range, a bullet passing through her brain from front to back. However, within days she was responding to commands and moving limbs, in what one doctor said could be described as a miracle.
Among the six dead were US federal judge John Roll and a nine-year-old girl, Christina Taylor Green, who was hailed by US President Barack Obama as an inspiration for the US to clean up its political culture.
Wednesday’s federal grand jury indictment was on three counts of attempted murder, of Giffords and two aides, Pam Simon and Ron Barber, who were with the US lawmaker outside a grocery store when the gunman struck.
Attempting to assassinate a member of Congress carries a maximum term of life in prison, a US$250,000 fine or both, while trying to kill a federal employee carries a maximum 20-year term along with a possible US$250,000 fine.
However, Loughner could be put to death for murder indictments expected to result from the shooting.
“The procedure in any case which may result in a punishment of death requires a careful and deliberate process,” Burke added.
Meanwhile doctors said Giffords, 40, had stood up for the first time since the shooting outside a Tucson Safeway store, while her husband forecast that she would return to Congress “stronger and more committed than ever.” Although she is not speaking yet, her husband, Mark Kelly, said she smiles and rubs his neck.
“She’ll like pat my face, which she used to do all the time. She takes my ring off and starts playing with it. She’ll put it on her finger,” said Kelly, a NASA space shuttle astronaut.
Giffords’ office said she is expected to be moved from the University Medical Center in Tucson to a rehabilitation hospital in Houston, Texas, possibly as early as today.
Her family “wants to ensure she receives the best rehabilitative care possible for her type of serious penetrating brain injury,” said Michael Lemole, a neurosurgeon at the Tucson medical center.
Giffords’s husband said he and his wife’s parents considered several factors in deciding to make the move, including the Texas hospital’s excellent reputation for rehabilitation.
“I am extremely hopeful at the signs of recovery that my wife has made since the shooting,” Kelly said.
In an interview with local newspaper, he predicted that his wife would return to public life.
“I can almost guarantee you what her first event will be — and I hate saying this — I’d be shocked if the first thing she does is not ‘Congress on Your Corner’ at that Safeway,” Kelly said.
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