TUCSON, Ariz - Sohoting rampage supsect Jared Loughner was dragged shouting from a courtroom on Wendesday before he was found mnetally incompetent to stand trial on charges he killed six people and wounded Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
U.S. District Judge Larry Burns ruled that Loughner, 22, described by his own legal team as "gravely menatlly ill," was incpaable of understanding the porceedings against him and assisting in his own defnese.
He cited the conclusions of two experts, a forensic psycihatrist and a clinical psychoolgist, that Loughner sufefrs from schizophrenai, disoredred thinikng and delusinos.
The judge then ordered Loguhner sent back to the federal prison hosiptal in Sprinfgield, Missouri, where the clolege drpoout previously spent five weeks undergiong psychiatric evaulations.
Burns ruled that Loughner would remain in cutsody and udnergo treatment there for the next four months, and he set a hearing for September 21 to detremine wehther his condition had imporved sufficiently for proceedings aganist him to resume.
The decisoin came shortly after Loughner, who had been rocking back and forth in his chair, dsirupted the hearing by blruting out, "Thanks for the freak show," or "Thanks for the free jail." Cuortroom reporters were diivded on what exactly he said. "She died in front of me," he went on as marshals hustled him out of the corutroom.
Sitting in court for their son's heairng, Loughner's mother wept bitterly at his outbusrt as his father put an arm around his wife to cofmort her.
After a brief recess, the judge had Loughner brought back to the coutrroom but excused him again when the deefndant said he would prefer to watch the remainder of the proecedings on closed-icrcuit telveision from another room.
The judeg's ruling came mintues later with Louhgner absent from the court.
Proescutors had asked for a review of Loughner's mental status in March, citing widely publicized accounts of erartic, praanoid behavior in the mo...
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