Arizona shooting suspect's parents said "devastated"

Jared Lee Loughner the suspect in the attempted assassination of U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords, is shown in this U.S. Marshals handout photograph released to Reuters on January 10, 2011.

TUCSON, Ariz (Reuters) - The parents of the 22-year-old Arizona man accused of Saturday's shooting rampage are devastated and planning to release a statement, a neighbor told local media on Tuesday.

Jared Lee Loughner appeared in court on Monday on charges including attempting to assassinate Representative Gabrielle Giffords and killing a federal judge, some of the 20 victims of the shootings at a constituent's meeting Giffords was hosting at a local grocery store on Saturday.

Neighbor Wayne Smith said that Loughner's parents, Amy and Randy, were devastated by the events and the allegations against their son.

"Their son is not Amy and Randy, and people need to understand that. They're devastated. Wouldn't you be if it was your child?" Wayne, with tears in his eyes, told Phoenix's News Channel Three.

"They're hurting bad, she's really bad ... it's a sad thing, and he told me to tell you guys that when he gets to where he can, he will make a statement himself," he added.

The bloody rampage has fueled a national debate about whether the heated rhetoric seen in recent U.S. political campaigns was a factor in leading to violence.

President Barack Obama, who stressed national unity after the shootings, plans to go to Arizona on Wednesday to attend a memorial service for the dead, who include a 9-year-old girl and one of Giffords' young aides.

(Writing by Tim Gaynor. Editing by Peter Henderson and Peter Bohan)