Arizona shooting suspect, woman fought for gun

A gunman in Arizonawho killed six people and injured 14 others, including a congresswoman, could have claimed more victims had a woman not tried to seize his weapon, police said Sunday.

Jared Lee Loughner, 22,was arrested in the shooting. The U.S. government on Sunday filed criminal charges, including attempted assassination,against him in a court in Phoenix.

The suspect was reloading his semi-automatic Glockwhen61-year-old Patricia Maisch who was in the crowd at the outdoor political event in Tucson wrestled for control of the handgun, Pima County Sheriff ClarenceDupniksaid Sunday.

"He inserted the new [31-bullet] magazine but it didn't fire," the sheriff told reporters, adding the woman was"wounded when she did this." Dupnik did not know the extent of her injuries.

After the skirmish, two men, Roger Sulzgeber and Joseph Zimudie, stepped in and tackled thegunman, wrestling himto the ground.

"There would have been a greater catastrophe had he been successful in [inserting themagazine properly]. Fortunately,the spring and the magazine failed and the two gentlemen were able to get it away from him and subdue him," Dupnik said.

Still, the gunman succeeded in shooting several people who had come out for a publicized meet-and-greetwith Gabrielle Giffords outside a Safeway grocery store. The 40-year-oldDemocrat was left in critical condition after a bullettraversed one side ofher brain from back to front.

Giffords remained the most seriously wounded of the victims still in hospital on Sunday. But doctors said she was able to open her eyesand answer simple questions non-verbally, because she was on a ventilator.

The shootingwon't stop members of the U.S. House of Representativesfrom carrying out their duties, U.S. House Speaker John Boehner said a day after the attack.

In a brief statement Sunday morning, the newly sworn speaker said flags on the House side of the Capitol in Washington will be flown at half-mast to honourGiffords's slain aide, Gabe Zimmerman. Others killedincludeda federal judge,a nine-year-old girl, and three senior citizens.

Boehner said normal House business this week is postponed to focus on any necessary actions in the shooting aftermath. But he saidthe "inhuman act" can't be allowed to deter representatives from serving their constituents.

The Republican speaker didn't take any questions before leaving the township government building near his West Chester, Ohio, home.

Lawrence Cannon, Canada's foreign affairs minister, offered his condolences to the victims' families and called the shooting a "senseless act of violence."

"In particular, I offer sympathy to the family of the young girl among the victims, whose entire life was ahead of her," he said in a statement released late Saturday.

On Saturday, police described Loughner as mentally unstableand the author of previous death threats.Hereportedlyleft a trail of rambling internet postings that have since been removed from the web.

His name was linked to some postings in which the authoraccused the U.S. government of mind control anddemanded a new currency.

Dupniksaid there had been earlier contact between Loughner and law enforcement after he had made death threats. But Dupnik said the suspect had notthreatenedGiffords.It is not clear why she was targeted.

Giffords had started her third term in Congress last November after defeating a Tea Party-backed Republican.

Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin last year listed Giffords's seat as one of the top "targets" in the November midterm elections because of the lawmaker's support for the health-care bill.

"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 gunsight over our district. When people do that, they have to realize that there are consequences to that action," Giffords had said in an interview with MSNBC.

The map identifyingthe districtswas removed fromPalin's "Take Back The 20" Facebook page on Saturday.

Loughner was taken intocustody soon after the shooting. Shortly after the arrest, police said they wereseeking a possible accomplice,a white male in his 50s.

However, Arizona authorities said on Sunday the man they called a "person of interest" was latercleared of any involvement in the attack.

Pima County Sheriff's Deputy Jason Ogan saidthe man was a cab driver who drove the gunman to the Safeway store.

Ogan said the man contacted police after his photograph, captured on security cameras, was distributed to the media.