CBS/AP/ January 14, 2011, 7:27 PM

Cops: Loughner's "Mystery Bag" Contained Ammo

TUCSON, Ariz. - A man walking his dog has found a black bag holding ammunition that authorities believe was discarded by a gunman accused of trying to assassinate an Arizona congresswoman.

Chief Rick Kastigar with the Pima County Sheriff's Office told The Associated Press that an 18-year-old found the bag Thursday morning in a neighborhood near where the suspect lives. He went to get another man, who looked inside and saw ammunition.

Authorities have said the suspect, Jared Loughner, and his father got into a confrontation over the bag at their home in the hours before the shooting.

Special Section: Tragedy in Tucson

This detail is the latest in a series of snapshots emerging about the final hours before Loughner allegedly opened fire with a semi-automatic Glock handgun in a crowded Tucson Safeway parking lot.

Authorities said Wednesday that a wildlife officer pulled over the suspect in the assassination attempt against an Arizona congresswoman less than three hours before the deadly attack.

Lougher, 22, ran a red light but was let off with a warning at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, the Arizona Game and Fish Department said. The officer took Loughner's driver's license and vehicle registration information but found no outstanding warrants on Loughner or his vehicle.

Wildlife officers have full authority to make traffic stops, although they usually don't do so unless public safety is at risk, the department said in a news release.

Jim Paxon, chief information officer for Arizona Game and Fish told CBS News that the stop took place at Interstate 10 and an unnamed cross street, "several miles" from the Safeway store where the shootings took place.

The night before the shooting, Friday, Jan. 7, Loughner slept at an area motel. He apparently drove to the motel in the Chevy Nova now parked at the Loughner home. Police have since searched the vehicle thoroughly.

At 2:33 a.m. Saturday, Loughner visited a convenience store less than a mile from his house, CBS News reports. Alone, he bought a doughnut, a soft drink and several energy bars. He did not buy alcohol.

Surveillance video of Loughner at the Catalina Mart has been given to the FBI, which wanted the video to see if he had any accomplices, CBS News reports. The FBI scanned Loughner's credit card purchases to track his whereabouts before the shooting.

The morning of the shooting, Loughner went to two WalMart stores to buy ammunition. He left the first store because the clerk was too slow. He bought the ammo at the second store.

Either right before or right after buying the ammo, Loughner was pulled over for running a red light and released, in the earlier described incident.

After being pulled over, Loughner went home and had a confrontation with his father, Randy Loughner.

Loughner ran into the desert from his angry father, who was chasing his son after seeing him remove a black bag from the trunk of a family car, said Rick Kastigar, chief of the Pima County Sheriffs Department's investigations bureau. Randy Loughner had apparently asked after the bag, and his son then fled.

After the run-in with his dad, he took a cab from a convenience store to the Safeway.

The suspect was "moving around quite a bit, going from location to location," the morning of the shooting, the FBI said recently, as they continue to develop a time line of the suspects movements prior to the shooting and the weeks and months before as well.

The sheriff's deputies who swarmed the Loughners' house removed what they describe as evidence Loughner was targeting Giffords. Among the handwritten notes was one with the words "Die, bitch," which authorities told The Associated Press they believe was a reference to Giffords.

Investigators with the Pima County Sheriff's Department previously said they found handwritten notes in Loughner's safe reading "I planned ahead," "My assassination" and "Giffords." Capt. Chris Nanos said all the writings were either in an envelope or on a form letter Giffords' office sent him in 2007 after he signed in at one of her "Congress on Your Corner" events - the same kind of gathering where the massacre occurred.

In addition to the new details about the hours before the shooting, interviews with those who knew Loughner or his family painted a picture of a young loner who tried to fit in, but was increasingly troubled.

Before everything fell apart, he went through the motions as many young men do nowadays: Living at home with his parents, working low-wage jobs at big brand stores and volunteering time doing things he liked.

None of it worked. His relationship with his parents was strained. He clashed with co-workers and police. And he couldn't follow the rules at an animal shelter where he spent some time.
© 2011 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
5 Comments Add a Comment
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askagain says:
We could reduce crime very easily if all juveniles who commit a felony such as assualt and robbery were jailed until at least age thirty and all people in their twenties committing felonies were jailed until at least age 40. Most crimes are caused by people in their teens and in their twenties. Once in their thirties and forties, they tend to be less aggressive and commit fewer crimes. In addition to reducing crime, thousands of people would be employed building jails and as jail guards. Sounds drastic but something must be done to reduce crime.
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meincalifornia says:
come on america it is time to look at our problems for what they really are. Loughner won't be the last unless we say we have a mental health crisis and our ability to deal with it. our formulae and approaches are all wrong. how long was loughner a victim? did anyone care or give a damn? roses are rosy if raised cared for well most of the time otherwise they wilt and die. some times they kill and they don't give a damn about themselves or anyone else.
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morriswise says:
It is rare that a person affected with Schizophrenia will harm anybody but themselves. They live in a private world and cannot survive without medication and constant supervision. Schizophrenics must not be confused with the over 100 thousand intellectually disabled inmates living in America`s prisons. Because Jared had a collection of classical books does not mean he understood what he was reading. His posts on the Internet make it clear that he is intellectually disabled, and too confused to fully realize the severity of his crime.
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baileyccc says:
The comment on the skank Palin even getting involved in this tragedy shows how poorly her decision making would be. She is a failed governor and an embarrassment for the gop. posted by baileyccc
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threeeleven says:
And Jesus called Loughner and thats what he looked like in the B.C. Andabeer and i was God Call and O'Lee O' O' Lee Ol' O' Lee O' O', i was at the 3 T's Resterant the day you sailed away and i was God and i was gone and i was God of the Fileing Fee you said you were and i was God of F Tin Hawk Tin of violint ears and i was God of F in the Volt you said you'd be for me and we won the War already and i was Joesis or something to you and Gone With The Wind was E toe here and i was a Vaydell Computer or a Vascar Veto to you...Good Luck and Happy Sailing East of here and i was GOD. TOM T RIFFIC I SIGN.
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