How Awful - 19 shot, several dead

[shipperx]

Just saw it on the news, some whacko in Arizona went on a shooting spree harming 10 people,  shooting a Democratic  Arizona  US Representative through the head (she's still alive but I saw the doctor on the news saying it was a 'devestating' injury) ,  a Federal judge, and a 9 year old child.

Article:
In a news conference just now, the Sheriff of Pima County said there was "reason to believe"  that the apprehended shooter had a companion with him when he opened fire on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and eighteen others earlier today. Dupnik said he was not in a position to publicly identify this person, but said that he was a white man in his 50s and that the Sheriff's department has a photograph of the individual and is seeking his apprehension. He did not call the individual a suspect, but rather a person of interest.

Sheriff Dupnik said a total of nineteen people were shot, six of whom were killed. Loughner is in the custoday. Dupnik also referenced reports that a suspicious package had been identified at Giffords' Tucson office.  (She had also received death threats during the election.)

Sheriff Dupnik also made a passionate plea for cooler heads to prevail in political debate, decrying the vitriolic tone of some talk radio.

When you look at unbalanced people, how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government. The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous. And, unfortunately.

Dupnik later added that such "vitriol might be free speech, but it's not without consequences."

Comments

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

"vitriol might be free speech, but it's not without consequences."

Sadly, that's almost exactly what Gifford herself said 9 months ago.

Horrible.

[ww1614.livejournal.com]

White man in his 50s? His father, Randy. His dad is 58.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I haven't read too much about it (I've spent most of the day curled up in bed moaning in misery, running a 101 temp). But I did surface enough to see that. The whole thing is horrific. Just horrific.

[ww1614.livejournal.com]

I'm just speculating--sorry, should have made that clear.

[rahirah]

My state. How I love it. :/

[cindergal.livejournal.com]

It's so awful.

And yeah, apparently Sarah Palin had a call-to-action poster up on her website (until today, of course), which placed crosshairs on a list of several congressmen and women, including Rep. Giffords.

No one is responsible for that shooting except the shooters, but I do agree with the Sheriff on this one as well.

ETA: Hope you feel better soon!

[binsoup.livejournal.com]

"vitriol might be free speech, but it's not without consequences."

for that matter democracy is not without consequences. but i say that from a slightly different angle, that is as a citizen of a country where journalists are gunned down for practicing free speech, and mass murder is committed by politicians who want to bury free speech.

[wildrider.livejournal.com]

What rahirah said. And I still view Tucson as my home town.

At least one county sheriff here is sane.

[angearia.livejournal.com]

The whole thing makes me feel sick.