Arizona Sheriff Dever Says Killer Alone Is Responsible for Shooting; ‘Frightening’ to ‘Lay Blame on Anyone Else’s Doorstep’

(CNSNews.com) – Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever said he does not understand why his friend and colleague, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, would suggest at a news conference following Saturday's shooting in Tucson that political ideology played a role in the tragedy.

At a press conference on Saturday, Dupnik said Arizona had become the “mecca for prejudice and bigotry” and that “the vitriolic rhetoric that we hear day in and day out from people in the radio business and some people in the TV business” should, given events, prompt America “to do a little soul-searching.”

In reference to Dupnik’s remarks, Sheriff Dever told CNSNews.com by telephone on Monday, “His words sadden me. He and he alone can define what he meant, just as the shooter of Gabrielle Giffords and all the others he killed and injured can only answer for himself.”