Accused Arizona shooter indicted

US: A federal grand jury in Arizona indicted Jared Lee Loughner on Wednesday on charges of attempting to assassinate Democratic Representative Gabrielle Giffords and the attempted murder of two of her staff members.

Loughner, 22, is accused of opening fire on Giffords and a crowd of bystanders outside a grocery store on Jan. 8, killing six people, including a federal judge, and wounding 13 others. He is expected to face additional federal and state charges.

Authorities have said Giffords, who remains hospitalized with a bullet wound to the head, was the gunman’s primary target. “Today’s charges are just the beginning of our legal action. We are working diligently to ensure that our investigation is thorough and that justice is done for the victims and their families,” U.S. Attorney Dennis K. Burke said in a statement. The indictment did not include any murder charges for two other federal employees who were slain — Judge John Roll, the chief federal judge in Arizona who had stopped at the supermarket store to talk to Giffords, or Gabe Zimmerman, the lawmaker’s director of community outreach.

Tucson, Ariz., Thursday, Reuters