Arizona shooting suspect indicted

Jared Loughner was indicted by a federal grand jury in Arizona on Wednesday on charges of attempting to assassinate Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and kill two of her congressional aides.

If Loughner, 22, is convicted of attempted murder of a member of Congress, he could be sentenced to life in prison. If he is found guilty of attempting to kill a federal employee, he could face a maximum of 20 years in prison.
 
{mosads}U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke said the initial three-count indictment marked only the beginning of criminal charges federal prosecutors hope to bring against Loughner.

“We are in the early stages of this ongoing investigation,” Burke said in a statement. “We have made considerable progress in a short period of time.”

Loughner was taken into custody as the lead suspect in the Jan. 8 shooting that killed six people, including U.S. District Judge John Roll; Giffords’s district director of outreach, Gabe Zimmerman; and a 9-year-old girl.

Giffords and 12 others, including congressional aides Ron Barber and Pamela Simon, were injured in the rampage at a constituent event being held by Giffords in Tucson, Ariz.

Separate charges may be brought against Loughner for his alleged role in killing Roll and Zimmerman. If convicted of killing a federal judge, he could receive the death penalty.

Loughner is scheduled to appear in court on Monday and is currently being held in Phoenix without bail.

Giffords has shown signs of rapid improvement since being shot in the forehead from three feet away, and is expected to be released from the hospital on Friday to a rehabilitation center in Houston.