Giffords was among the wounded, and the hospital said her outlook was"optimistic" and that she was responding to commands from doctors.
Thehospital said a 9-year-old child was among the killed, and a U.S.Marshal said a federal judge was too fatally shot in the attack.
Giffordsspokesman C.J. Karamargin said an unspecified number of her staffmembers were injured in the shooting. Congressional officials said anaide to the Democrat was killed, and President Barack Obama said fivepeople died in all.
Police say the shooter wasin custody, and was identified by people familiar with theinvestigation as Jared Loughner, 22. Pima County Sheriff`s officialssaid he used a pistol to carry out the shooting spree. U.S. officialswho provided his name to the Associated Press spoke on condition of anonymity becausethey were not authorized to release it publicly.
Theshooting prompted an outpouring of sympathy from politicians and peoplearound the country. President Barack Obama called the shooting "anunspeakable tragedy" and that such "a senseless and terrible act ofviolence has no place in a free society." Obama sent his FBI director tooversee the investigation.
"It`s notsurprising that today Gabby was doing what she always does, listening tothe hopes and concerns of her neighbors," Obama said in a nationallytelevised news conference. "That is the essence of what our democracy isabout."
Federal law enforcement officialswere poring over captured versions of a MySpace page that belonged toJared Loughner and over YouTube videos published to the internet weeksago under an account "Classitup10″ and linked to him. The MySpace page,which was removed within minutes of the gunman being identified by U.S.officials, included a mysterious "Goodbye friends" message publishedhours before the shooting and exhorted his friends to "Please don`t bemad at me."
In one of several YouTube videos,which featured text against a dark background, Loughner describedinventing a new U.S. currency and complained about the illiteracy rateamong people living in Giffords` congressional district in Arizona. Twospellings of his last name were given in the wake of the shooting: Loughner and Laughner.
"I know who`slistening: Government Officials, and the People," Loughner wrote."Nearly all the people, who don`t know this accurate information of anew currency, aren`t aware of mind control and brainwash methods. If Ihave my civil rights, then this message wouldn`t have happen[sic]."
Threehours after the shooting, the L-shaped shopping center in Tucson wasblocked off by police and had fire trucks and other vehicles in itsparking lot that blocked the view of the store`s front door. No shellcasing could be seen from the area 500 yards from the store wherereporters and photographers were kept.
OutsideGiffords` office on Capitol Hill, a handful of congressional stafferscould be seen walking into her office without comment, some with rollerbags and one who was in tears. About a half dozen yellow flowers, placedby one mourner, sat outside the door.
U.S.Marshal for Arizona David Gonzales confirmed to the Associated Pressthat U.S. District Judge John Roll also died in the attack.
Giffords,40, was reelected to her third term last November. She was a member ofthe Arizona House and Senate before coming to Washington.
Giffordstweeted shortly before the shooting, describing her "Congress on YourCorner" event: "My 1st Congress on Your Corner starts now. Please stopby to let me know what is on your mind or tweet me later."
Giffordsis married to astronaut Mark E. Kelly, who has piloted space shuttles Endeavour and Discovery. The two met in China in 2003 while they wereserving on a committee there, and were married in January 2007.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
For more read Emily Belz`s WORLDmag.com Web Extra.