US congresswoman shot on street corner in AZ

[Raphael Meade]

pretty shocking news from tucson tonight...



Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head by a gunman at a public event in Tucson on Saturday. There are conflicting reports about whether she was killed.

The Pima County, Ariz., sheriff's office told member station KJZZ the 40-year-old Democrat was killed. At least nine other people, including members of her staff, were injured.

Giffords, who was re-elected to a third term in November, was hosting a "Congress on Your Corner" event at a Safeway in northwest Tucson when a gunman ran up and started shooting, according to Peter Michaels, news director of Arizona Public Media.

Giffords was talking to a couple when the suspect ran up and fired indiscriminately from about four feet away, Michaels said.
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., poses with House Speaker John Boehner Wednesday on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Enlarge Susan Walsh/AP

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) poses with House Speaker John Boehner on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., poses with House Speaker John Boehner Wednesday on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Susan Walsh/AP

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) poses with House Speaker John Boehner on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.

The suspect ran off and was tackled by a bystander. He was taken into custody. Witnesses described him as in his late teens or early 20s.

Giffords was first elected to represent Arizona's 8th District in 2006. The "Congress on Your Corner" events, which she holds regularly, allow constituents to present their concerns directly to her.

Giffords is married to astronaut Mark Kelly, a veteran of Desert Storm. They have two children.

 

[KneeOn]

Sick. There might be reason for anger at polititians but killing them is not the way to go.

 

[clippedgull]

6 people confirmed dead and 12 injured including the Congresswoman

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Christina Taylor Green: a symbolic life tragically cut short | World news | guardian.co.uk

 

[El Presidente]

But remember folks, there is no correlation between relaxed US gun laws and murders.

I wonder why Sarah Palin has removed the target signs

 

[Dandyman]

Bet the Tea Party types are really proud.

 

[bhaexpress]

But as the National Rifle Association keep telling everybody 'Guns don't kill people, people kill people'. Of course the fact that a gun does it rather more easily than any other weapon seems top pass these people by. It must be something to do with the American mindset as I was told that their neighbours in Canada have as many guns per capita as the US with a fraction of the amount of gun crime. How true this is I couldn't say although several Canadian relatives have guns for hunting so it may be accurate. All I know is that the crime rate in Canada is nothing like that of America.