I turned on the news and it felt like was watching a repeating nightmare. A young man in Tucson shot in into a crowd with a 9 mm Glock. His intended victim was apparently the Democratic Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords. She was shot in the head and gravely wounded. The gunman continued shooting until he was overpowered. Six people, including one nine-year-old girl, were killed. Fourteen others were wounded. 22-year-old Jared Loughner was arrested at the scene.
Then the finger pointing began. Over the next few days I heard people blame the heated political debate over immigration and health care. Some criticized Sarah Palin's political action committee for releasing what had been described as a "gun crosshairs map" which included Rep. Giffords as one of twenty democrats who voted for Obama's Health Care Bill. Pima County Sheriff described the partisan political atmosphere as "the anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country." http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/10/giffords-shooting-she...
Many commentators also blamed lax gun laws. It was reported that Loughner had bought the Glock at Tuscon's Sportsman's Warehouse. Although there were many indications that he was mentally ill, there no laws to prevent the purchase.
This case brought back memories of the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting. Seng-Hui Cho, a student at the university, had been found mentally unstable yet was able to legally purchase a gun. He killed 32 people before committing suicide. Many questioned whether that tragedy could have been prevented if school administrators had intervened more actively. Many wondered whether signs of Cho's mental illness were overlooked.
Similar questions are now being asked about Loughner. After his arrest, many clues about his mental state were discovered in his online profile. He listed "Mein Kampf" as one of his favorite books. Other clues of his anti-government beliefs were evident in the videos and photographs he posted on the internet. He made bizarre and incoherent entries about mind control and brainwashing. One video, titled America: Your Last Memory in a Terrorist Country!" showed a man burning the America flag while the song "Let the Bodies Hit the Floor" played. Another video included this comment: "I can't trust the current government because of the ratifications: The government is implying mind control and brainwash on the people by controlling grammar."
http://www.npr.org/2011/01/09/132780313/sheriff-accused-shooter-u...
Mr. Loughner exhibited many signs of mental instability. It has been reported that he tried to enlist in the Army but was rejected. He was suspended from Pima Community College and told he could not return without a mental health evaluation. Lynda Sorenson, one of his classmates, reported, "He disrupted class frequently with nonsensical outburst." She recalled, "Jared scared me right from the get-go...After class I told the teacher something needs to be done. I thought he was going to harm people. I was afraid he was going to come with a gun and shoot everyone...I made a point not to make eye contact with him. I tried to make myself invisible. I always sat by the door because I was afraid." "http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/01/10/2011-01-10_jared_lee_loughner_alleged_tucson_gunman_had_others_fearing_for_their_lives.htm
Another classmate recalled, "He was one of the last kids to come in, and he sat down and almost immediately started laughing to himself in a way that was just kind of creepy...As soon as the teacher started going over the syllabus, he had this outburst out of nowhere, didn't even raise his hand, and started asking the teacher some sort of weird questions about whether he believed in mind control." The adjunct professor told reporters, "I remember going home and thinking to myself, 'Is he going to bring a weapon to class?'" http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/01/10/2011-01-10_chilling_shrine_in_madmans_yard.html
It appears that Loughner had a long-standing grudge against Representative Giffords. Three years ago he attended a political event and posed this question to her in writing: "What is government if words have no meaning?" http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/01/09/2011-01-09_2n...
One of Loughner's friends told a reporter from The Associated Press that Loughner was angered by Rep. Giffords' response to his question. The friend recalled, "He was like ... 'What do you think of these people who are working for the government and they can't describe what they do?...He did not like government officials, how they spoke. Like they were just trying to cover up some conspiracy." http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/01/09/2011-01-09_2nd_suspect_sought_in_tucson_shooting_of_rep_gabrielle_giffords_5_others.html
Loughner may have even made threats towards her. Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik told the press, ""As we understand it, there have been law enforcement contacts with the individual where he made threats to kill." http://www.npr.org/2011/01/09/132780313/sheriff-accused-shooter-unhinged-made-threats?ps=rs
Loughner left a note in his safe titled "My assassination." The note was found in an envelop with the name "Giffords" written on it. If he goes to trial, this will most likely be an important piece of evidence.
Although Mr. Loughner is innocent until proven guilty, many are already questioning whether he will use an insanity defense. I can not make any definitive conclusions about Mr. Loughner's mental state but I have often heard my forensic patients describe similar paranoid ideas. In my book, The Measure of Madness: Inside the Disturbed and Disturbing Criminal Mind, I described violent, delusional defendants who were convinced that their minds were controlled by outside, malevolent forces.
