Arizona Safeway Shootings Fast Facts
CNN Editorial Research
Here’s a look at the January 8, 2011, shootings in Tucson, Arizona. Six people were killed and 13 were wounded including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Shooter Jared Lee Loughner pleaded guilty in 2012 and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Victims
Christina Taylor Green, 9
Born on September 11, 2001
Dorothy “Dot” Morris, 76
Retiree
Judge John Roll, 63
Federal judge for the US District Court for the District of Arizona
Phyllis Scheck, 79
Retiree and former librarian
Dorwin Stoddard, 76
Retired construction worker
Gabriel “Gabe” Zimmerman, 30
Director of community outreach for Rep. Giffords
Injured
Bill Badger, 74
Ronald Barber, 65
Giffords’ district director, returned to work on July 5, 2011. On June 12, 2012, Barber wins 52% of the vote against Republican opponent Jesse Kelly’s 45% in a special election in Arizona to serve the remainder of Giffords’ term in Congress.
Kenneth Dorushka, 63
James Fuller, 63
Randy Gardner, 60
Gabrielle Giffords, 40
Susan Hileman, 58
George Morris, 76
Mary Reed, 52
Pamela Simon, 63
Community outreach coordinator in Giffords’ office, returned to work on February 23, 2011.
Mavanell Stoddard, 75
James Tucker, 58
Kenneth Veeder, 75
Timeline
2007 – Loughner is arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia, but the charges are dismissed.
2007 – Loughner meets Giffords at a community event. He develops a fixation on the congresswoman after he is unsatisfied with her answer to his question.
2008 – Loughner tries to enlist in the Army but is rejected after failing a drug test.
October 2010 – Loughner is suspended from Pima Community College after displaying erratic behavior. He is told he can’t return to campus unless he presents a doctor’s note saying he is not a danger to himself or others. He voluntarily withdraws from the school.
November 30, 2010 – Loughner purchases a 9mm pistol at a Tucson area gun store.
January 8, 2011 – Approximately two and a half hours before the shootings, Loughner is stopped by an Arizona Game and Fish Department officer for running a red light. He is let go with a verbal warning.
January 8, 2011 – Approximately 30 minutes before the shootings, Loughner takes a cab from a convenience store to the Safeway grocery store where Giffords’ event is being held.
January 8, 2011 – (10:10am) – Loughner opens fire on a crowd of people at the Giffords event. Six people are killed and 13 wounded. As Loughner attempts to reload his pistol, he is tackled and disarmed by several bystanders.
January 9, 2011 – Loughner is formally charged with five counts in federal court: the attempted assassination of a member of Congress; the murders of Gabe Zimmerman and Judge John Roll; and the attempted murders of Pamela Simon and Ron Barber.
January 12, 2011 – US District Court Judge Larry Burns, Southern District of California, is appointed to hear Loughner’s case after all Arizona federal judges and magistrates are recused.
January 12, 2011 – President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama meet with the injured and the families of victims at University Medical Center.
January 19, 2011 – A federal grand jury in Arizona indicts Loughner.
January 24, 2011 – Loughner pleads not guilty to all charges against him.
February 11, 2011 – Prosecutors file a procedural motion to dismiss two murder charges against Loughner, though they intend to refile the charges under a superseding indictment.
March 4, 2012 – Federal prosecutors file an additional 49 federal charges against Loughner.
March 9, 2011 – Burns enters “not guilty” pleas on behalf of Loughner on 49 counts, including murder and attempted murder.
March 22, 2011 – Burns orders Loughner to undergo a mental evaluation in Springfield, Missouri, no later than April 29.
May 25, 2011 – Burns rules that Loughner is not competent to stand trial.
May 27, 2011 – Loughner arrives at the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri.
June 29, 2011 – Burns sides with prison doctors and rejects a motion from defense attorneys to stop Loughner’s forced medication.
July 7, 2011 – Before a federal appeals panel, the defense argues that forcing Loughner to take mind-altering psychotropic drugs violates his rights.
July 12, 2011 – The federal court rules Loughner has not been convicted of a crime, therefore he has the right to refuse to take anti-psychotic medication.
July 22, 2011 – A federal appeals panel reverses the July 12th decision, and orders that authorities can force Loughner to take anti-psychotic medication. Prosecutors had argued that his mental state is deteriorating and he is suicidal.
August 31, 2011 – An appeals court in San Francisco hears arguments from Loughner’s lawyers to try to end the forcible medication. They argue that criminal defendants have a constitutional right to refuse mental treatment when the government’s primary goal is to make suspects competent enough to be convicted and possibly sentenced to death.
September 28, 2011 – Burns extends Loughner’s treatment at a Missouri medical treatment facility for four more months, at which time Loughner’s competency will be re-evaluated.
January 8, 2012 – Giffords attends a vigil in Tucson marking the one-year anniversary of the shooting. She leads the crowd of thousands in the Pledge of Allegiance and later lights a memorial candle for the six people killed.
August 7, 2012 – Burns determines that Loughner is competent to stand trial in a federal court in Tucson. Loughner pleads guilty to 19 charges in exchange for the government not seeking the death penalty.
November 8, 2012 – Burns sentences Loughner to serve the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole. The punishment includes seven consecutive life terms plus 140 years.
January 8, 2021 – A ceremony is held on the 10-year anniversary of the shootings. “The Embrace,” a memorial on the west side of the Pima County Courthouse, is dedicated to the victims and survivors.
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