After 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner allegedly killed six and injured 14 people at a Safeway store in a suburb of Tucson, Ariz. on Jan. 8, the White House gathered Monday for a moment of silence to honor the victims of the “senseless tragedy,” including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.).
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama slowly and silently walked out of the White House, joining White House staff outside at 11 a.m. on a cloudy day. After observing silence for the weekend tragedy, the couple walked back into the building. They wrapped their arms around each other’s waists.
After seeing an Arizona judge, Loughner is being held without bail as he awaits trial on federal charges, including making an assassination attempt on a member of Congress and killing an employee of the federal government, according to the Department of Justice.
Giffords, 40, was shot in the head, but the bullets did not hit critical parts of the brain. Doctors have placed her into a medically induced coma to help her brain rest, according to ABC. She underwent a successful surgery on Saturday, but remains in critical condition.
According to the White House, Obama has been and will continue to pay close attention to the case. He has made calls to Giffords’ husband, Mark Kelly, and family members of several other victims.
“Gabby Giffords and others are still fighting to recover,” Obama said in a speech after a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who was on a planned visit to the White House. “Families are still absorbing the enormity of their losses. We have a criminal investigation that is ongoing and charges that no doubt will be brought against the perpetrator of this heinous crime.”
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama slowly and silently walked out of the White House, joining White House staff outside at 11 a.m. on a cloudy day. After observing silence for the weekend tragedy, the couple walked back into the building. They wrapped their arms around each other’s waists.
After seeing an Arizona judge, Loughner is being held without bail as he awaits trial on federal charges, including making an assassination attempt on a member of Congress and killing an employee of the federal government, according to the Department of Justice.
Giffords, 40, was shot in the head, but the bullets did not hit critical parts of the brain. Doctors have placed her into a medically induced coma to help her brain rest, according to ABC. She underwent a successful surgery on Saturday, but remains in critical condition.
According to the White House, Obama has been and will continue to pay close attention to the case. He has made calls to Giffords’ husband, Mark Kelly, and family members of several other victims.
“Gabby Giffords and others are still fighting to recover,” Obama said in a speech after a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who was on a planned visit to the White House. “Families are still absorbing the enormity of their losses. We have a criminal investigation that is ongoing and charges that no doubt will be brought against the perpetrator of this heinous crime.”
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