US President Barack Obama condemned a mass shooting in Arizona Saturday that gravely wounded a member of the US Congress and as many as a dozen others, calling it a "senseless and terrible act of violence."
"This morning, in an unspeakable tragedy, a number of Americans were shot in Tuscon, Arizona, at a constituent meeting with Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords," Obama said in a statement.
The shooting at a shopping centre in Tucson, Arizona, left at least 12 injured Saturday, and several likely killed, broadcaster CNN reported, citing police sources.
A hospital staffer told the broadcaster Giffords, a 40-year-old Democrat, was in surgery after being shot in the head. An earlier report by National Public Radio had said she had died, dpa reported.
"We do not yet have all the answers," Obama said. "What we do know is that such a senseless and terrible act of violence has no place in a free society. I ask all Americans to join me and Michelle in keeping Representative Giffords, the victims of this tragedy, and their families in our prayers."