The tragic shootings in Arizona show the need for an examination of mental illness because the shooter was "paranoid, most certainly,'' Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said Monday.
U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head at point-blank range, and at least 20 people were hit by 31 shots from a Glock semi-automatic pistol in the shooting on Saturday, officials said.
"The Congresswoman and I developed a relationship, as she had with my wife,'' Malloy said, adding that he knows Giffords through the national Democratic Leadership Council.
Malloy's wife, Cathy, and Giffords had both attended the Women's Campaign School at Yale University in New Haven - a long-running program for women considering careers in politics. Giffords has served on the school's board of directors.
"It should offer us an opportunity to reflect on our dialogue. It also should offer us an opportunity to reflect on whether or not we are meeting the needs of the individuals in our community who suffer from mental illness,'' Malloy told reporters Monday at the state Capitol. "Quite clearly, from the writings of this individual that we've been exposed to so far, he was delusional, probably; paranoid, most certainly and other diagnosed conditions that cause me to wonder whether we're doing enough in our society for the mentally ill.''