Added information on congresswoman`s state
A shooting at a shopping centre in Tucson, Arizona, left 12 injured Saturday, including a member of the US Congress, broadcaster CNN reported, citing police sources.
There were conflicting reports as to whether Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, a 40-year-old Democrat and native of Tucson, had been killed. CNN interviewed a hospital worker who said Giffords was in surgery after being shot in the head.
A previous report from broadcaster NPR had said that at least six others had died in the attack, which would mean there were at least five wounded based on initial reports of 12 shot. Several of the wounded or dead include staff members traveling with the congresswoman.
The motive for the attack remains unknown.
John Boehner, the speaker of the House of Representatives, condemned the attack.
I am horrified by the senseless attack on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and members of her staff. An attack on one who serves is an attack on all who serve," he said in a statement.
"Acts and threats of violence against public officials have no place in our society. Our prayers are with Congresswoman Giffords, her staff, all who were injured, and their families. This is a sad day for our country."
Giffords was at a previously scheduled citizen's outreach event at a grocery store when the shooting occurred. According to reports, she had been shot in the head and was initially responsive after the shooting.
A witness told CNN of a violent attack, with between 15 and 20 shots fired. "It was like pots and pans falling around my ears. It was so loud," the man, who was at the event, told CNN.
Peter Michaels, news director with Arizona Public Media, told NPR that the gunman approached as Giffords was speaking to a couple and began firing from a little more than one metre's distance.
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was in critical condition following surgery after being shot Saturday, her surgeon said. At least 17 others were shot in the attack at a shopping centre in Tucson. The hospital, where Giffords was being treated, was treating a total of 10 people injured in the attack, five of whom were in critical condition. A 9-year-old child who had been brought to the hospital had died, the surgeon said.
Giffords had left surgery and would be transferred to an intensive care unit. "At the present time, I'm very optimistic about recovery," the doctor said.
Initial reports also said the shooter had been taken into custody. He was described as being in his late teens or early 20s.
Giffords has been in office since 2007. It is not unusual for members of the US legislature to attend citizen's events in their home districts during weekend breaks from Congress with little or no special security.
Giffords is married to Mark Kelly, an astronaut with the US space programme NASA, who is scheduled to captain the last flight of a space shuttle mission, scheduled for April.
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