Chief neurosurgeon Michael Lemole: “I am cautiously optimistic”
Shot US politician ‘doing well’
US congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head by a gunman in Arizona, is responding well to treatment and can follow simple commands after surgery, doctors say.
They said it “was still very early” but they were “cautiously optimistic”.
Ms Giffords, 40, was injured and six other people killed in a shooting at a public meeting at a Tucson supermarket.
The FBI has confirmed Jared Loughner, 22, is in custody and it expects formal charges to be laid on Sunday.
A second man is still being sought in connection with the shooting but officials have no specific information that he was involved in the attack.
Surgeons at the Arizona University Medical Center said Ms Giffords was still in a critical condition but they were optimistic, especially since the bullet that hit her had entered only one and not both hemispheres of the brain.
It had travelled the length of the left side of the brain.
The doctors said their surgery had initially controlled the bleeding, then taken the pressure off the brain.
Confirmed DeadJudge John Roll, 63Christina-Taylor Green, nineGabe Zimmerman, 30Dorothy Morris, 76Dorwin Stoddard, 76Phyllis Scheck, 79Who are the victims of the Tucson shootings?
Transfusions had worked well, they said, and after the surgery Ms Giffords could respond to simple commands.
Dr Peter Rhee, medical director of the hospital’s trauma and critical care unit, said: “This is about as good as good can get.”
Dr Michael Lemole, chief of neurosurgery, added: “We’re very encouraged. We are still in critical condition. Brain swelling at any time can take a turn for the worse. But I am cautiously optimistic.”
In their press conference, the surgeons said they had treated 11 other patients in the wake of the shooting, one of which – nine-year-old Christina-Taylor Green – they were unable to resuscitate.
Suspected gunman: Jared Loughner
Aged 22; lives with parents in TucsonDescribed by former class-mates as “disruptive” drug-user and a lonerReportedly posted series of rambling messages on social networking websitesOnline messages show deep distrust of government and religion, calling US laws “treasonous” and calling for creation of a new currencyAttempted to enlist in US Army but was rejectedProfile: Jared Loughner
Five patients remain in serious condition and one has been discharged. Six surgeries were performed.
Dr Rhee said: “I never thought I would experience something like this in my own back yard. It’s a very trying period for all of us.”
Politicians have expressed shock at the attack, with President Barack Obama calling it a “tragedy for our entire country”.
House Speaker John Boehner vowed on Sunday that the shootings would “not deter us from our calling to represent our constituents”.
The six dead included the nine-year-old girl, federal Judge John Roll – who had served Arizona’s legal system for 40 years – and one of Ms Giffords’ political aides.
The attacker struck as Ms Giffords held one of her regular open-invitation meetings – which she called “Congress on your corner” – with her constituents outside the Safeway supermarket in Tucson at around 1000 (1700 GMT) on Saturday.
GABRIELLE GIFFORDSRepresents the eighth district of Arizona in the HouseFirst elected in 2006, re-elected to third term last NovemberHas focused on immigration reform, military issues, stem-cell research and alternative energyGrew up in Tucson, ArizonaMarried to US astronaut Mark KellyProfile: Gabrielle Giffords In pictures: Gabrielle Giffords
Eyewitnesses say the gunman approached Ms Giffords and shot her at close range. Later reports from the hospital said a bullet passed through her head without exploding.
The attacker then fired some 20 shots indiscriminately before being overpowered by members of the crowd as he attempted to reload what one witness described as a semi-automatic Glock pistol.
He was then hauled away by police, witnesses said.
Local media report the suspect has so far refused to speak.
Various former classmates have described him as “obviously disturbed” and a loner who had posted a number of anti-government videos and messages on social networking websites.
Arizona police have asked for the public’s help in identifying this man Shortly before the attack he had posted: “Goodbye friends. Dear friends, don’ be mad at me.”
An overnight vigil was held outside the Tucson hospital where the victims were taken.
A few miles away, both the scene of the attack and some streets around the suspect’s home – where he lived with his parents – remained cordoned off.
Ms Giffords, who represents the eighth district of Arizona in the House of Representatives, is married to space shuttle astronaut Mark Kelly.
Described as a “a rising star” in the Democrats with hopes of eventually winning the Arizona Senate seat, she has served on several congressional committees, including those covering the armed services and foreign affairs, and is a member of the “blue dog” group of centrist Democrats.
All of next week’s legislative debates in the House have been postponed.
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