Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Shot at Grocery Store Event

[Straw Man]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40978517/ns/politics/

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., was shot in the head and an unknown number of others were wounded Saturday when an assailant sprayed bullets into an area where the lawmaker was meeting with constituents, congressional officials said.

Officials said one of the victims died soon after the attack, and others were taken to a nearby hospital.

There were conflicting reports on whether the congresswoman had died.

The officials said the wounded included some of Gifford's aides who were with her at the time.

The officials who described the events did so on condition of anonymity, saying they were not permitted to comment publicly.

FBI officials and local law enforcement were investigating the attack, which took place while Giffords was greeting constituents outside a Safeway grocery store.

Giffords, who was re-elected to her third term in November, was hosting her first "Congress on Your Corner" event in northwest Tucson, NPR reported.


Giffords, 40, is married to U.S. astronaut Mark Kelly. She took office in January 2007, emphasizing issues such as immigration reform, embryonic stem-cell research, alternative energy sources and a higher minimum wage. In November, she edged a tea party favorite.

The Arizona politician's office had been vandalized last March just hours after the House vote overhauling the health care system, The New York Times reported.

[Soul Crusher]

Saw this on my email.  Did they get the shooter? 

[Straw Man]

Saw this on my email.  Did they get the shooter? 

don't know

I just heard on the radio that she's dead and as many as 6 others might be dead or injured

I've read the shooter is in custody but then the radio report just said no one was in custody

[Soul Crusher]

Wow.  Damn.   

[Danny]

what a horrible thing.

[Coach is Back!]

what a horrible thing.

x2

That is just sad

[240 is Back]

Very sad.  Prayers.

[Soul Crusher]

12 people shot, wonder if this guy had high cap mags or reloaded? 

Also - it looks like they got the guy alive.   

[Straw Man]

it seems she may not have died afterall (though shot in the head)

apparently she'd received many threats, had her office vandalized etc..

[Straw Man]

Giffords, 40, took her seat in Congress in 2007 and has advocated for immigration reform, among other Democratic-led issues. She was among 20 members of Congress who were on former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's so-called "hit list," depicted in a graphic online with targeting crosshairs over their individual districts.

interesting.
-NT

not interesting

fucking sick

[240 is Back]

Giffords, 40, took her seat in Congress in 2007 and has advocated for immigration reform, among other Democratic-led issues. She was among 20 members of Congress who were on former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's so-called "hit list," depicted in a graphic online with targeting crosshairs over their individual districts.
interesting.
-NT

We gotta be careful not to jump to any conclusions.  She also did a lot to send national guard forces to the Mexican border.  So it could very well have been related to that, and not this 'hit list' which you mention that caused so much controversy.  Or it could be something else.  


from gawker:
A gunman shot U.S. congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords during an event outside a Safeway in Tuscon Arizona this morning. At least 12 others were wounded. Following is an eyewitness report from a man who helped hold the suspect down.

Update: Giffords has died, according to Reuters.

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.

The gunman was young, mid-to-late 20s, white, clean-shaven with short hair and wearing dark clothing and said nothing during the shooting or while being held down, although he struggled at first. He was "not particularly well-dressed"; he didn't look like a businessman, but more of a "fringe character," Rayle said. The sheriff's department arrived, arrested the gunman and cordoned off the parking lot.

CNN is reporting that at least 12 were wounded.

[240 is Back]

not interesting
fucking sick

The list was a VERY bad idea.  But we DO NOT know if it is related in any way whatsoever.  We must not jump to any conclusions.

[Straw Man]

We gotta be careful not to jump to any conclusions.  She also did a lot to send national guard forces to the Mexican border.  So it could very well have been related to that, and not this 'hit list' which you mention that caused so much controversy.  Or it could be something else.  


from gawker:
A gunman shot U.S. congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords during an event outside a Safeway in Tuscon Arizona this morning. At least 12 others were wounded. Following is an eyewitness report from a man who helped hold the suspect down.

Update: Giffords has died, according to Reuters.

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.

The gunman was young, mid-to-late 20s, white, clean-shaven with short hair and wearing dark clothing and said nothing during the shooting or while being held down, although he struggled at first. He was "not particularly well-dressed"; he didn't look like a businessman, but more of a "fringe character," Rayle said. The sheriff's department arrived, arrested the gunman and cordoned off the parking lot.

CNN is reporting that at least 12 were wounded.

the only person I blame is the NUT who pulled the trigger

[Soul Crusher]

 

[Straw Man]

The list was a VERY bad idea.  But we DO NOT know if it is related in any way whatsoever.  We must not jump to any conclusions.

agreed but that type of rhetoric on either side is totally unacceptable and the people who create this should realize that there are nutbags out there who take this rhetoric very seriously.

[240 is Back]

the only person I blame is the NUT who pulled the trigger

Agreed.  Regardless of party, nationality.... this looks to be a horrible shooting scene.  No time to place blame.  Someone else posted this, and it seems to sum it up best:


Ya know, I read the comments on the Fox News article about this, and a lot of them claim that the gunman was an "Obama henchman" who did this to "cause confusion and stir up the progressive base." I thought that was a reactionary assumption.

But, um, assuming that the gunman was a Tea Party member motivated by right-wing-bred violence is also a reactionary assumption, isn't it?

And besides, even if the gunman is a conservative, claiming that this shooting shows that "conservatives in this country are violent crazy wingnuts" seems a little bit...broad.

I think the most plausible explanation for the gunman's motives is that the gunman is fucking insane, regardless of political affiliation

[Straw Man]

what - now all of a sudden you can't speak?

since when have you been at a loss for words

[Soul Crusher]

gunman was 21 y/o

[Soul Crusher]

Sarah Palin Responds On Facebook To Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' Shooting
Glynnis MacNicol | Jan. 8, 2011, 3:06 PM | 163 | 
A A A   

 Just now from Sarah Palin's Facebook page:

My sincere condolences are offered to the family of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the other victims of today's tragic shooting in Arizona.

 On behalf of Todd and my family, we all pray for the victims and their families, and for peace and justice.

- Sarah Palin

Tags: TV | Get Alerts for these topics »

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/sarah-palin-responds-on-facebook-to-rep-gabrielle-giffords-shooting-2011-1#ixzz1ATbGhEau

[240 is Back]

Giffords, 40, took her seat in Congress in 2007 and has advocated for immigration reform, among other Democratic-led issues. She was among 20 members of Congress who were on former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's so-called "hit list," depicted in a graphic online with targeting crosshairs over their individual districts.

interesting.
-NT

Palin's website is now down:

http://www.sarahpac.com/

[Danny]

Sarah Palin Responds On Facebook To Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' Shooting
Glynnis MacNicol | Jan. 8, 2011, 3:06 PM | 163 | 
A A A   

 Just now from Sarah Palin's Facebook page:

My sincere condolences are offered to the family of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the other victims of today's tragic shooting in Arizona.

 On behalf of Todd and my family, we all pray for the victims and their families, and for peace and justice.

- Sarah Palin

Tags: TV | Get Alerts for these topics »

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/sarah-palin-responds-on-facebook-to-rep-gabrielle-giffords-shooting-2011-1#ixzz1ATbGhEau

she'd better pray that this mofo is not some psycho totally infatuated with her that acted driven by desire to impress her or something totally retarded like that.

[Soul Crusher]

BI is saying that the gunman is 21 y/o 

[240 is Back]

she'd better pray that this mofo is not some psycho totally infatuated with her that acted driven by desire to impress her or something totally retarded like that.

Yeah, it could still very well be completely unrelated to Palin's Hit List which contained the victim's name.

This *could* be her Huck moment - only much, much worse - and we are seeing her not scramble to scrub her site of the target lists. 

What a horrible story all around.  Hopefully this is completely unrelated to politics.  Reports say she was talking before going into surgery, but other reports say much worse.   Press conference in 12 minutes.

[Soul Crusher]

US Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords shot in Arizona, multiple wounded
BY Larry Mcshane
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Saturday, January 8th 2011, 1:46 PM

 
HODemocratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona was shot on Saturday, according to reports.

Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and six others were shot by a lone gunman Saturday morning during a scheduled public event outside a Tuscon grocery store, according to an NPR report.

Despite earlier reports that the Congresswoman was killed, Reuters and Politico reported that she is in surgery.

"She's alive," Giffords' spokesperson reportedly told Reuters.

The Pima County sheriff's office told NPR that six others at the event were killed.

Giffords, 40, was chatting with a couple in her district when the shooter opened fire from about four feet away.

The shooter, described as a man in his teens or early 20s, was tackled by a bystander as he ran from the scene, according to NPR.

The gunfire erupted around 10 a.m. during the "Congress at Your Corner" event outside a Safeway store. A witness told CNN that 15 to 20 gunshots were fired during the shooting spree.

Giffords was shot along with members of her staff, according to Peter Michaels, news director of Arizona Public Media.

The Congresswoman is known for cracking down on illegal immigration, urging deployment of the National Guard and new technology to protect the Arizona border.

Before her election to Congress in 2006, the Arizona native served in the state legislature.

Her husband, Capt. Mark Kelly, is a Navy pilot, a Desert Storm veteran and an astronaut.

She was one of 20 vulnerable Democrats singled out by ex-GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin for defeat in the 2010 elections.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2011/01/08/2011-01-08_us_congresswoman_gabrielle_giffords_shot_in_arizona_multiple_wounded.html

[LurkerNoMore]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110108/us_nm/us_usa_shooting_congresswoman

TUCSON, Arizona (Reuters) – Representative Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona was shot point blank in the head by a man who opened fire indiscriminately at a constituency meeting in Tucson, U.S. media reported on Saturday.

Giffords, a 40-year-old Democrat in her third term in Congress, was airlifted to a hospital in Tucson shortly after the shooting at a Safeway supermarket in the Arizona city.

"She is currently in surgery. She's alive," University Medical Center spokeswoman Darci Slaten told Reuters. Slaten added that nine other shooting victims were being treated at the hospital.

NPR, citing the sheriff's office in Pima County, Arizona, initially reported that Giffords and six others had died in the shooting, though it later said there were conflicting reports.

Fox News reported that between 12 and 15 people were shot.

Giffords was hosting a "Congress on Your Corner" event -- public gatherings to give her constituents a chance to talk directly with her -- when attacked from about four feet away, NPR said.

The report said the suspect tried to run away but was tackled by a bystander and was in police custody.

Re-elected in the November 2 election, Giffords has focused on immigration reform, military issues, stem cell research and alternative energy while serving in Congress. She is married to U.S. astronaut Mark Kelly.