U.S. Congress approves naming courthouse after judge killed in Arizona shooting

U.S. Congress approves naming courthouse after judge killed in Arizona shooting

2011-02-10 05:51:07 GMT+7 (ICT)

WASHINGTON D.C. (BNO NEWS) -- The United States Congress on Wednesday approved a bill to name a new federal courthouse in honor of Chief Judge John Roll who was killed in the Tucson, Arizona shooting.

The bill was authored by U.S. Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Jon Kyl (R-AZ). The legislation will now be sent to the White House in order to be approved by President Barack Obama.

"Chief Judge Roll helped win support for the construction of this new courthouse in one of the most over-burdened court districts in the country. He approved the plans for the building shortly before his untimely and tragic death," said the U.S. Senators in a joint statement.

The new courthouse will be located in Yuma, Arizona. Construction of the courthouse is scheduled to begin in July, with an anticipated completion date of 2013.

"It's only befitting we name it in his honor. We hope that this building will serve as a memorial to Judge Roll and his legacy," added the statement.

Roll was one of the six victims on the January 8 shooting at a supermarket in northwest Tucson. 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner shot a people attending a rally hosted by U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

The shooting happened just after 10 a.m. local time as Giffords was hosting her first "Congress on Your Corner" of the year. Loughner opened fire, killing six people, including 9-year-old Christina Greene and Chief Judge Roll, and injuring 14 others.

Giffords was the target and was critically injured as a result of a gunshot to her head. The U.S. Congresswoman survived and spoke for the first time since the attack this Wednesday.

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