Tucson shooting video shows judge's heroism

Surveillance video from an Arizona grocery store shows moments of mayhem and heroism as a gunman shoots U.S. congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, then turns the gun on a crowd of people waiting to meet her, an Arizona sheriff's official said Wednesday.

Pima County Sheriff's Chief Rick Kastigar said he watched the first part of a surveillance video that shows the shooting. The sheriff's office turned the video over to the FBI, which has declined to release it.

Describing the video's content, Kastigar said the gunman walks around a folding table behind Giffords, going up to her and shooting her in the face.

Jared Loughner, 22, has been charged with one count of attempted assassination of a member of Congress, two counts of killing an employee of the federal government and two counts of attempting to kill a federal employee. A total of six people died in the Jan. 8 incident at a Tucson shopping mall's parking lot.

"He didn't run but he very purposefully and rapidly walked around that table and directly up to her," Kastigar said, estimating that the shooter was about a metre away from Giffords when he fired. "That was the first shot, and it was fired very quickly and very deliberately at her."

Judge shielded aide from gunfire

The video then shows the gunman turning toward a group of people sitting in chairs and stepping out of view. Kastigar said that's when he indiscriminately fired at the seated group and turned toward U.S. District Judge John Roll and Giffords aide Ron Barber.

Kastigar said the man on the video shoots Barber, and almost simultaneously Roll moves Barber toward the ground and both crawl beneath the table, with Roll getting on top of Barber in an apparent effort to shield him.

Roll then was shot in the back. He died from his injuries.

"I believe the judge is a hero," Kastigar said. "I think Judge Roll is responsible for directing Mr. Barber out of the line of fire and helped save his life."

Barber was shot in the leg and in the face and neck area and survived. Giffords was gravely wounded and is hospitalized, with doctors saying her condition is improving each day.

"You know, I've been a cop for three decades and I've seen some pretty traumatic and disturbing things, and this was very, very upsetting to watch this," Kastigar said of the video.