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.
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