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U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona shot in the head


Shryke

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U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona was shot in the head outside a grocery store in Tucson while holding a public event, Arizona Public Media reported Saturday.

The 40-year-old Democrat, who was re-elected to her 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.

At least nine other people, including members of her staff, were hurt. Giffords was transported to University Medical Center in Tucson. Her condition was not immediately known.

Giffords was talking to a couple when the suspect ran up and fired indiscriminately from about four feet away, Michaels said.

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.

http://www.npr.org/2011/01/08/132764367/congresswoman-shot-in-arizona

Another link:

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2011/01/rep_giffords_shot_in_arizona.php

She was one of the Reps whose offices were vandalised during the height of the Health Care Reform debates.

Also, this incident at one of her town hall meetings:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/10/gabrielle-giffords-town-h_n_255656.html

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Sadly, she didn't make it.

Also:

According to Ed Espinoza, DNC Western States Political Director, Giffords' district director and local press secretary were also shot

Suspect described as mid-to-late 20s man atm.

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6 others reported dead, a dozen injured. It's a mass murder (in addition to an assassination).

The big question now, was it politically motivated or did the guy just see a crowd or something and decide to open up - it just happened to be a Congresswoman there, too.

Edit: the Sheriff on MSNBC just said she's still alive but in very, very critical condition. He just left the hospital.

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6 others reported dead, a dozen injured. It's a mass murder (in addition to an assassination).

The big question now, was it politically motivated or did the guy intending to do this already just see a crowd or something and decide to open up.

cnn is reporting she had threats against her. my guess is this was not random.

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6 others reported dead, a dozen injured. It's a mass murder (in addition to an assassination).

The big question now, was it politically motivated or did the guy intending to do this already just see a crowd or something and decide to open up.

I don't man. From what i've heard, this guy ran right up to her first and shot her point blank in the head. Then started in on the others around her.

If it wasn't political, he at least knew who she was and was going after someone famous.

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From Gawker:

We spoke to an eyewitness, Steven Rayle, who was on the scene at the time of the shooting and helped to hold the suspect down while waiting for police. Here's what he said:

The event was very informal: Gifford had set up a table outside the Safeway and about 20-30 people were gathered to talk to her. The gunman, who may have come from inside the Safeway, walked up and shot Gifford in the head first, "point blank". According to Rayle, who is a former ER doctor, Gifford was able to move her hands after being shot.

After shooting Gifford, the gunman opened fire indiscriminately for a few seconds, firing 20-30 rounds and hitting a number of people, including a kid no older than 10 years old. Rayle hid behind a concrete pole and pretended to be dead. When the gunman apparently ran out of ammunition he attempted to flee, but a member of Gifford's staff tackled him. Rayle helped hold the gunman down while waiting for the sheriff to arrive, about 15-to-20 minutes later. The EMS came about 30 minutes later. Rayle said he was "stunned" by how long it took medical help to arrive.

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