UNITED STATES
Family members of a 22-year-old man charged in an Arizona shooting spree that killed six people and injured 14 expressed sorrow on Tuesday and said they didn't understand why the rampage happened.In an eight-sentence statement that never mentions the accused gunman, Jared Lee Loughner, his family says the shooting's aftermath was a "very difficult time" and asked for privacy.
"There are no words that can possibly express how we feel. We wish there were, so we could make you feel better," read the statement, attributed to "The Loughner Family."
Two young men emerged from the one-story brick home mostly enclosed by hedges in a middle class neighborhood of Tucson and handed out the statement to a throng of media waiting outside.
"We don't understand why this happened. It may not make any difference, but we wish that we could change the heinous events of Saturday," it said. "We care very deeply about the victims and their families. We are so very sorry for their loss."
Jared Loughner has been charged with five federal counts, including the murder of a federal judge and the attempted assassination of Representative Gabrielle Giffords.
Giffords, the apparent target of Saturday's rampage, remained hospitalized in critical condition after being shot in the head.
A neighbor, Wayne Smith, told a local TV station on Tuesday that Loughner's parents, Amy and Randy, were devastated by the shooting and the allegations against their son.
"Their son is not Amy and Randy, and people need to understand that. They're devastated. Wouldn't you be if it was your child?" a teary-eyed Smith said.
"They're hurting bad. She's really bad ... it's a sad thing, and he told me to tell you guys that when he gets to where he can, he will make a statement himself," he said.
(Reuter Writing by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
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