A federal judge this morning said Jan. 8 shooting suspect Jared Lee Loughner is incompetent to stand trial, at least for the next four months.
Doctors say the 22-year-old is schizophrenic.
The Southern Arizona chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness today issued a statement supporting Judge Larry A. Burns' decision.
"Although the purpose of providing treatment in this context is to restore his competency, the finding affirms the existence of symptoms of severe mental illness and the need for treatment to alleviate these symptoms," the statement says.
"We are an organization of individuals and families whose lives have been affected by serious mental illnesses. Although Jared Loughner showed signs of serious mental illness prior to the tragedy it appears that he never received treatment. While we will never know for sure, it is very possible that had treatment been provided on a timely basis, the tragedy may have been prevented."
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Six people died in the shootings and 13 others, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, were injured by gunfire. One other person was injured at the scene when she fell to the ground to avoid the spray of bullets.
