A US congresswoman is in critical condition after a gunman shot her in the head and killed six people in an Arizona shooting spree.
Democratic Representative Gabrielle Giffords was shot at close range at a public meeting in a Tucson supermarket.
The 40-year-old is under sedation, but the doctor treating her said he was “very optimistic about her recovery”.
Barack Obama said the shooting was a “tragedy for our entire country”. A 22-year-old man has been arrested.
He has been named locally as Arizona resident Jared Loughner, who is described as having a troubled past.