TUCSON, Ariz. — Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona was shot in the head today by a gunman who opened fire outside a grocery store during a meeting with voters, killing a federal judge and five others in a rampage that rattled the country and left Americans questioning whether divisive politics had pushed the suspect over the edge.

Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik said Giffords was the target of a gunman whom he described as mentally unstable and possibly acting along with an accomplice. He said Giffords was among 13 people wounded in the melee that killed six people, including Arizona’s chief federal judge, a 9-year-old girl and an aide for the Democratic lawmaker. He said the rampage ended when two people tackled the gunman.

Additional Photos

House Speaker John Boehner re-enacts the swearing in of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., last Wednesday on Capitol Hill in Washington. Giffords was shot in the head today in Arizona. AP

Doctors were optimistic about Giffords surviving as she was responding to commands from doctors despite having a bullet go through her head. “With guarded optimism, I hope she will survive, but this is a very devastating wound,” said Dr. Richard Carmona, the former surgeon general who lives in Tucson.

The sheriff pointed to the vitriolic political rhetoric that has consumed the country as he denounced the shooting that claimed several of his friends as victims, including U.S. District Judge John Roll. The judge celebrated Mass on this morning like he does every day before stopping by to say hello to his good friend Giffords.

The reaction to the shooting rippled across the country as Americans were aghast at the sight of such a violent attack on a sitting member of Congress. The shooting cast a pall over the Capitol as politicians of all stripes denounced the shooting as a horrific and senseless act of violence.

In Maine, U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree described Giffords as one of her good friends in the House.

“When she was brutally shot, Gabby was out doing what she loved to do — meeting with her constituents in a local setting, allowing people to speak to her directly about the issues that concerned them,” said Pingree, a fellow Democrat. “This act of shooting Gabby and many others is an act of unthinkable, uncivilized brutality and we all fear acts like this could have a chilling effect on our democratic system.”

Pingree said she and Giffords have been colleagues on the Armed Services Committee, sitting just a few seats away from each other.

“She is a fighter there for the people she represents and now she is fighting for her life,” Pingree said in a preparerd statement. “She has been one of the hardest working members of the House since she was first elected four years ago. She is dedicated to her constituents, and well liked by all her colleagues. We are all praying for Gabby, her family and the families of all the other victims.”

Maine Rep. Mike Michaud said he and Giffords are both members of the House Blue Dog Coalition, a caucus of fiscally conservative Democrats. In September 2008, Michaud, as chairman of the Veterans Health Subcommittee, travelled to Tucson to co-host a discussion with Giffords on mental health care for veterans.

“This is a national tragedy and an extremely sad day for our country,” Michaud said in a prepared statement. “Congresswoman Giffords is a true advocate for the people of Arizona and is an exceptional member of Congress. My prayers are with Congresswoman Giffords, her family, her staff and all the victims of this senseless act of violence.”

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, also released a statement, saying: “I am shocked and saddened by the horrific shootings in Arizona today. My prayers are with Congresswoman Giffords, her family and staff, and all of those who were killed and injured in this senseless attack.”

U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, issued the following statement: “I was horrified and deeply saddened to learn of the unspeakable tragedy in Tucson. My thoughts and prayers are with Representative Giffords, her staff, and with all of the families whose loved ones were killed or injured as a result of this deplorable rampage. Our nation is the greatest in the world partly because our constituents can have unfiltered interactions with those individuals who represent them in the U.S. Congress.”

Capitol police asked members of Congress to step up security in the wake of the shooting, and some politicians expressed hope that the killing spree serves as a wakeup call at a time when the political climate has become so emotionally charged.

“I am horrified by the senseless attack on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and members of her staff,” newly elected House Speaker John Boehner said. “An attack on one who serves is an attack on all who serve. Acts and threats of violence against public officials have no place in our society. Our prayers are with Congresswoman Giffords, her staff, all who were injured, and their families. This is a sad day for our country.”

Giffords, 40, is a three-term moderate Democrat who narrowly won re-election in November against a tea party candidate as conservatives across the country sought to throw her from office over her support of the health care law. Her office in Tucson was vandalized in the hours after the House passed the overhaul last March as anger over the law spread across the country.

Police say the shooter was in custody, and was identified by people familiar with the investigation as Jared Loughner, 22. Pima County Sheriff’s officials said he used a 9 mm pistol to carry out the attack. U.S. officials who provided his name to the AP spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release it publicly.

The suspect’s exact motivation was not clear, but a former classmate described Loughner as a pot-smoking loner who had rambling beliefs about the world. The Army said he tried to enlist in December 2008 but was rejected for reasons the military did not provide.

Federal law enforcement officials were poring over versions of a MySpace page that belonged to Jared Loughner and over a YouTube video published weeks ago under an account “Classitup10” and linked to him. The MySpace page, which was removed within minutes of the gunman being identified by officials, included a mysterious “Goodbye friends” message published hours before the shooting and exhorted his friends to “Please don’t be mad at me.”

In one of several Youtube videos, which featured text against a dark background, Loughner described inventing a new U.S. currency and complained about the illiteracy rate among people living in Giffords’ congressional district in Arizona.

“I know who’s listening: Government Officials, and the People,” Loughner wrote. “Nearly all the people, who don’t know this accurate information of a new currency, aren’t aware of mind control and brainwash methods. If I have my civil rights, then this message wouldn’t have happen (sic).”

Giffords spokesman C.J. Karamargin said three Giffords staffers were shot. One died, and the other two are expected to survive. Gabe Zimmerman, a former social worker who served as Giffords’ director of community outreach, died. Giffords had worked with the judge in the past to line up funding to build a new courthouse in Yuma, and Obama hailed him for his nearly 40 years of service as a judge.

Giffords was first elected to Congress amid a wave of Democratic victories in the 2006 election, and has been mentioned as a possible Senate candidate in 2012 and a gubernatorial prospect in 2014.

Giffords is married to astronaut Mark E. Kelly, who has piloted space shuttles Endeavour and Discovery.

Giffords, known as “Gabby,” tweeted shortly before the shooting, describing her “Congress on Your Corner” event: “My 1st Congress on Your Corner starts now. Please stop by to let me know what is on your mind or tweet me later.”

Giffords has drawn the ire of the right in the last year, especially from politicians like Sarah Palin over her support of the health care bill. It’s still not clear if the gunman had the health care debate in mind or was focused on his own unique set of political beliefs as witnessed in the Internet videos.

Giffords’ Tucson office was vandalized a few hours after the House voted to approve the health care law in March, with someone either kicking or shooting out a glass door and window. More recently, the sheriff also said that someone in a “very angry audience” at a Giffords event dropped a weapon out of their pants.

In an interview after the vandalism, Giffords referred to the animosity against her by conservatives. Palin listed Giffords’ seat as one of the top “targets” in the midterm elections because of the lawmakers’ support for the health care law.

“For example, we’re on Sarah Palin’s targeted list, but the thing is, that the way that she has it depicted has the crosshairs of a gun sight over our district. When people do that, they have to realize that there are consequences to that action,” Giffords said in an interview with MSNBC.

In the hours after the shooting, Palin issued a statement in which she expressed her “sincere condolences” to the family of Giffords and the other victims.

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