Arizona Shooting Suspect Jared Loughner Indicted on Attempted Assassination Charge
PHOENIX (CBS/KPHO/AP) A federal grand jury has indicted Jared Loughner, the suspect in the Arizona shooting rampage that left six dead and over a dozen wounded including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
The indictment on Wednesday against the 22-year-old accuses him of attempting to assassinate Giffords and trying to kill two of her aides.
It does not include two murder charges listed in an earlier criminal complaint for the deaths of Giffords aide Gabe Zimmerman, 30, and U.S. District Judge John Roll, 63.
According to CBS affiliate KPHO, those are potential death penalty charges. A statement from the U.S. attorney for Arizona, Dennis Burke, said those require a more painstaking process under Justice Department rules.
Burke said the initial indictment issued by a grand jury in Tucson was just the beginning of federal legal action against Loughner, a Tucson resident.
Six people were killed and 13 wounded in the Jan. 8 attack at a grocery store in Tucson as Giffords held a meet-and-greet with constituents. State charges are pending.
The indictment was expected. The federal criminal code mandates that an indictment be brought within 30 days of an arrest. Burke said the investigation is still in its early stages, and additional charges are likely.
Before federal officials seek charges carrying the death penalty, families of the victims will be consulted and a review by a Justice Department committee is required.
Loughner remains in federal custody without the possibility of bond. He is set for a preliminary hearing on Monday in Phoenix.
COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THE ARIZONA SHOOTING FROM CBS NEWS
