Neighbor: Parents of shooting suspect devastated

PHOENIX (AP) — The parents of the suspect in Saturday’s shooting spree in Tucscon are devastated and guilt-ridden, a neighbor said.

Jared Loughner, 22, appeared in court Monday on federal charges that he tried to assassinate U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and killed a federal judge. He is also accused of killing five others and wounding or injuring 13 others.

Loughner’s parents, Randy and Amy Loughner, are devastated, according to neighbor Wayne Smith, 70.

“And they feel guilty for what happened,” he told KPHO-TV Monday evening.

“They want to know, where did they fail? I told them they didn’t fail. They taught him everything about right and wrong. We all know you can teach someone everything and have no control how it works out.”

Amy Loughner has been in bed, crying nonstop since Saturday, Smith said.

Roxanne Osler, of Tucson, whose son had been a friend of Jared Loughner’s, said he had a bad relationship with his parents and had distanced himself from family.

“What Jared did was wrong. But people need to know about him,” she told The Washington Post. “I wish people would have taken a better notice of him and gotten him help. ... He had nobody, and that’s not a nice place to be.”

Loughner’s parents have not spoken publicly, though Smith said the father plans to release a statement.