The parents of a man charged with trying to assassinate an Arizona congresswoman are devastated and guilt-ridden, a neighbor said, mourning their own tragedy as Tucson residents prepare Tuesday for a week of funerals and a visit from the president.
Jared Loughner's mother has been in bed, crying nonstop since Saturday, neighbor Wayne Smith, 70, told KPHO-TV. Amy and Randy Loughner want to know where they went wrong with their 22-year-old son, who is charged with trying to kill U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and killing a federal judge.
"I told them they didn't fail. They taught him everything about right and wrong," Smith said. "We all know you can teach someone everything and have no control how it works out."
Roxanne Osler, of Tucson, whose son was a friend of Jared Loughner's, said he had a bad relationship with his parents and had distanced himself from family.
"What Jared did was wrong. But people need to know about him," she told The Washington Post. "I wish people would have taken a better notice of him and gotten him help. ... He had nobody, and that's not a nice place to be."
Loughner's parents have not spoken publicly, though Smith said the father plans to release a statement.
Speaking to NBC's "Today" show early Tuesday, Dr. Michael Lemole, chief of neurosurgery at the University of Arizona, said there was no change overnight in Giffords' condition.
When asked about swelling in her brain on the third day, which is when brain swelling often reaches its peak after an injury, Lemole said a CAT scan early Tuesday showed no increase in swelling. But he cautioned that it can sometimes take longer for brain swelling to reach its peak.
"Just the fact that she's able to respond to those commands implies that there's not a great deal of pressure in the brain," he said.
After Saturday's operation to temporarily remove half of her skull, doctors over the past two days had Giffords removed from her sedation and then asked basic commands such as: "Show me two fingers."
"When she did that, we were having a party in there," said Dr. Peter Rhee, adding that Giffords has also been reaching for her breathing tube, even while sedated.
"That's a purposeful movement. That's a great thing. She's always grabbing for the tube," he said.
Giffords' family is by her side, receiving constant updates from doctors. On Monday, two well-known doctors with extensive experience in traumatic brain injury were traveling to Tucson to help consult on Giffords' case.
Her doctors have declined to speculate on what specific disabilities the 40-year-old congresswoman may face.
