January 8, 2011; 13 years ago (2011-01-08) 10:10 a.m. MST (UTC−07:00)
Target
U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords
Attack type
Mass shooting, mass murder, assassination attempt
Weapons
Glock 19 semi-automatic pistol with a 33-round magazine[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Deaths
6 (including federal judge John Roll)
Injured
15 (including the perpetrator; 13 by gunfire, including Giffords)
Perpetrator
Jared Lee Loughner
Motive
Anti-government sentiment, hatred of Gabby Giffords
On January 8, 2011, U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords and 18 others were shot during a constituent meeting held in a supermarket parking lot in Casas Adobes, Arizona, in the Tucson metropolitan area. Six people were killed, including federal District Court Chief Judge John Roll; Gabe Zimmerman, one of Giffords's staffers; and a 9-year-old girl, Christina-Taylor Green.[7][8][9][10][11] Giffords was holding the meeting, called "Congress on Your Corner", in the parking lot of a Safeway store when Jared Lee Loughner drew a pistol and shot her in the head before proceeding to fire on other people.[8][9] One additional person was injured in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.[12] News reports identified the target of the attack to be Giffords, a Democrat representing Arizona's 8th congressional district.[8] She was shot through the head at point-blank range, and her medical condition was initially described as "critical".[8][9]
Loughner, a 22-year-old Tucson man who was fixated on Giffords, was arrested at the scene.[13] Federal prosecutors filed five charges against him, including the attempted assassination of a member of Congress and the assassination of a federal judge.[10][14][15] Loughner previously had been arrested once (but not convicted) on a minor drug charge[16] and had been suspended by his college for disruptive behavior. Court filings include notes handwritten by Loughner indicating he planned to assassinate Giffords.[14] Loughner did not cooperate with authorities, invoking his right to remain silent.[9] He was held without bail and indicted on 49 counts. In January 2012, Loughner was found by a federal judge to be incompetent to stand trial based on two medical evaluations, which diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia.[17] On August 7, Loughner had a hearing in which he was judged competent. He pleaded guilty to 19 counts, and in November 2012 was sentenced to life in prison.
Following the shooting, American and international politicians expressed grief and condemnations. Gun control advocates pushed for increased restrictions on the sale of firearms and ammunition, specifically high-capacity magazines.[18] Some commentators criticized the use of harsh political rhetoric in the United States, with a number blaming the political right wing for the shooting. In particular, Sarah Palin was criticized for a poster by her political action committee that featured stylized crosshairs on an electoral map that included Giffords. Palin rejected claims that she bore any responsibility for the shooting.[19][20] President Barack Obama led a nationally televised memorial service on January 12, and other memorials took place.
^Cite error: The named reference nyt20110114 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Grimaldi, James V.; Kunkle, Fredrick (January 9, 2011). "Gun used in Tucson was purchased legally; Arizona laws among most lax in nation". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
^Kim, Susanna (January 11, 2011). "Glock 19: How did Unemployed Jared Loughner Buy Popular, Expensive Pistol?". ABC News. Archived from the original on July 28, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
^Feldmann, Linda (January 10, 2011). "Why Jared Loughner was allowed to buy a gun". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on July 28, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
^Cite error: The named reference wapo20110112 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference cbs20110112 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference azcentral2011-01-08-optimistic was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abcdCite error: The named reference LaceyHerszenhorn2011-01-09 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abcdCite error: The named reference CNN2011-01-08 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ab"Criminal Complaint Against Jared Lee Loughner". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 15, 2012. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
^Cite error: The named reference CBS-20110110-linked was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference WP-20110114-victims was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference Kanalley2011-01-08 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abCite error: The named reference I planned was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference Lacey2011-01-09 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Jared Lee Loughner, suspect in Gabrielle Giffords shooting, had college run-ins" Archived January 18, 2023, at the Wayback Machine azcentral.com, January 9, 2011. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
^Cite error: The named reference competence was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference gun_control was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference rhetoric was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference NYT_Zeleny was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
and 26 Related for: 2011 Tucson shooting information
morning of the shooting, but the clerk refused to sell it to him based on his appearance and demeanor. As the shooting occurred outside the Tucson city limits...
of murder and attempted murder in connection with the January 8, 2011, Tucsonshooting, in which he shot and severely injured U.S. Representative Gabby...
in the 2011Tucsonshooting while attending a constituent outreach event held by U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords in Casas Adobes, near Tucson, Arizona...
personnel and first responders at the 2011Tucsonshooting, and was used to treat some victims of the shooting. The bandage was invented by an Israeli...
may refer to: Christina Taylor Green (born 2001), a victim of the 2011Tucsonshooting Taylor Green (born 1986), Canadian baseball player Marjorie Taylor...
the University of Arizona campus. It honored the victims of the 2011 Tucsonshooting and included themes of healing and national unity. Watched by more...
third term in January 2011 when she was shot in the head in an assassination attempt and mass shooting just outside of Tucson during an event with constituents...
US federal judge and 2011Tucsonshooting victim (b. 1947) Christina-Taylor Green, documentary subject and 2011Tucsonshooting victim (b. 2001) January...
the airwaves on November 24. During the news cycle following the 2011Tucsonshooting, conservative talk-radio host Mark Levin threatened to sue Chris...
deniability for those creating media messaging. The article covered the 2011Tucsonshooting. As of 2016, "stochastic terrorism" was an "obscure" academic term...
the shooting spree Seven from smoke inhalation Including 3 of the perpetrators 11 by gunfire 3 by stabbing James Brady was injured in the shooting, but...
down in a circle. After the shooting, four men from Tucson were arrested. Mike McGraw, a patient in a mental hospital in Tucson, had called sheriff's investigators...
List of superdelegates at the 2008 Democratic National Convention 2011Tucsonshooting Andrew DeMillo (August 21, 2008). "Widow of slain Demo chairman to...
and as the 2nd district since 2013—includes the eastern two-thirds of Tucson, as well as the southeastern corner of Arizona. Barber lost his 2014 re-election...
Safeway shooting may refer to: 2011Tucsonshooting, near a Safeway in Casas Adobes, Arizona that killed 6 people and injured 14 others, including Gabby...
January 12, 2011, the piece opened "Together We Thrive: Tucson and America", the memorial service for the victims of the 2011Tucsonshooting. "Goossens...
Diamondbacks, and Arizona Coyotes. In a January 2011 interview, in response to the 2011Tucsonshooting, Bennington said, "There's a non-violent way to...
Mass shooting contagion theory is the studied nature and effect of media coverage of mass shootings and the potential increase of mimicked events. Academic...
Active shooter is a term used to describe the perpetrator of an ongoing mass shooting. The term is primarily used to characterize shooters who are targeting...
Arizona and the Tucson Museum of Art to house exhibits; there was to be a new café, and a memorial to the victims of the 2011Tucsonshooting that seriously...
82 plays.[citation needed] The game was played two days after the 2011Tucsonshooting, an attempted assassination attempt on Rep. Gabby Giffords of Arizona...
assassination attempt on January 8, 2011. Six people died in the Tucsonshooting. After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting the following year, Giffords...
Loughner (born 1988), American criminal who was arrested for the 2011Tucsonshooting Jared C. Monti (1975–2006), American soldier who was killed in action...
crossfire" in 2011, which included criticism by Rush Limbaugh, when the news spread that Jared Lee Loughner, the perpetrator of the 2011Tucsonshooting, had been...