The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has gone silent, refusing to give the media further information on the Jan. 8 Giffords assassination attempt that killed six and wounded 14.
In a brief yet firm press release, the sheriff’s public information officer, Deputy Jason Ogan, states: “Until further notice, due to a controversy between the Sheriff’s Department and the County Attorney’s office, no further information reference the Jan. 8, 2011 shooting will be released.”
According to KGUN9-TV in Tucson, the announcement resulted in the cancellation of a CNN interview with Sheriff Bureau Chief Richard Kastigar about the security videos which captured the attack on film. The interview had been scheduled to commence 45 minutes later in the KGUN9-TV newsroom.
Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik has come under fire in recent days for his highly opinionated announcements, which have pointed to conservative talking heads, such as Rush Limbaugh, as a reason for the attack.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department refused to comment on the nature of the “controversy” with the County Attorney’s office.