Suspect in Giffords Shooting Declared Unfit for Trial
U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Gifford’s alleged assailant, Jared Loughner, has been ruled unfit for trial but will be reassessed in four months.
U.S. District Court Judge Larry Burns, ruling Wednesday in Tucson that Loughner does not “have a rational understanding of the proceedings” at this time, sent him to a psychiatric facility and ordered a new hearing for Sept. 21 to reassess his fitness to stand trial.
Loughner exploded with rage and had to be removed from the courtroom.
He allegedly opened fire Jan. 8 at a Tucson meet-the-constituents event hosted by Giffords (D-Ariz.), critically wounding the lawmaker. Six people were killed in the attack.
Giffords, the first Jewish woman elected from her state to a federal office, has been rehabilitating since the shooting and reportedly has made progress.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!