Arizona shooting: 'I played dead to escape gunman'

A US congresswoman is in critical condition after a gunman shot her in the head and killed six people in an Arizona shooting spree.

Democratic Representative Gabrielle Giffords was shot at close range at a public meeting in a Tucson supermarket.

The 40-year-old is under sedation, but the doctor treating her said he was "very optimistic about her recovery".

Doctor Steven Rayle was at the scene and described how he lay down on the ground and pretended to be dead to avoid getting shot.