The suspect accused in Saturday's mass shooting in Arizona is being held without bail and has been assigned the same lawyer who defended the "Unabomber," Ted Kaczynski.
Jared Loughner, 22, entered the court Monday handcuffed wearing an inmate's tan uniform. His head was shaved and he had a cut on his right temple.
He responded "yes" when asked if he understood his rights. When he walked into the court he looked straight at the crowd gathered, then turned to speak to his lawyer, San Diego attorney Judy Clarke.
The court is under heavy guard with about a dozen U.S. marshals.
He is charged with one count of attempted assassination of a member of Congress, two counts of killing an employee of the federal government and two counts of attempting to kill a federal employee.
Nineteen people were shot in a Tucson, Ariz. rampage on Saturday, and six were killed, including a young girl, a federal judge and several seniors.
The target of the attack, Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, suffered a gunshot wound to the head from point-blank range. She remains in intensive care at a nearby hospital. Doctors are optimistic about her condition but say it's too early to for certain whether she will recover.
U.S. President Barack Obama led a somber moment of silence Monday morning for victims.
Obama stood with his head bowed on the White House lawn, accompanied by first lady Michelle Obama and White House staff, as a bell sounded 11 a.m. EST.
The minute of silence that followed was marked at the U.S. Capitol and sites across the U.S. Obama had asked for the country to pray together or reflect on those killed or struggling to recover.
Intern helped save life
Giffords had been meeting with a group of her constituents at a grocery store when the shooting began. The motive for the attack is still not known.
An intern for the congresswoman, Daniel Hernandez, was among those attending the event at the grocery store.
Hernandez told CTV's Canada AM that he did not see the gunman, but he heard shots being fired and immediately ran towards Giffords.
When he got close to her, he "noticed that she had a severe injury to her head," Hernandez said from Tucson on Monday morning.
Using the first aid training he picked up in high school, Hernandez said he began to undertake the immediate steps needed to keep her alive.
"Once I saw the position she was in, I knew that she was in danger of asphyxiation if she remained in that position, just because of the blood that she was losing. So my first priority was to try to stabilize her by holding her up, sitting her up so she could breathe properly," he said.
"Once I knew that she was breathing properly, I then applied pressure to her wounds to try and make sure that we could stem as much blood loss (as possible) from the wounds."
Hernandez stayed with her after emergency personnel arrived, holding her hand "trying to comfort her as much as possible."
At this point, Giffords was in severe pain, but was alert and conscious, Hernandez said.
Legal case
Clarke is an experienced public defender who has worked in California and in Washington state. She has been part of teams that defended "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski. Clarke also helped defend Susan Smith, the South Carolina mother who drowned her two sons in 1994.
As of Monday morning, Loughner was not co-operating with investigators, according to Sheriff Clarence Dupnik of Pima County. He told Good Morning America that Loughner has said "not a word," to police.
Dupnik said authorities believe Loughner acted alone, calling him "a typical troubled individual who's a loner."
CTV's Washington Bureau Chief Paul Workman said it is not precisely clear what will happen during Loughner's court appearance.
"We understand he has not been co-operating with the authorities, he's not been talking at all," Workman said from Tucson on Monday morning.
"He will have a court-appointed lawyer for sure, the charges will likely be read out. We're not sure if there will be some call for the death penalty, maybe that might happen later on."
Giffords remains in intensive care in a Tucson hospital. Doctors say she has responded to some verbal commands, which is considered a positive sign.
Toronto neurologist Todd Mainprize said only a small percentage of people ever survive being shot in the head.
"Generally with gunshot wounds to the head, approximately 90 to 95 per cent of people die almost immediately," Mainprize said Monday morning.
Mainprize said "it's the trajectory of the bullet that dictates how severe the injury is."
With files from The Associated Press
