Gabrielle Giffords, U.S. House Representative from Arizona, stood outside a Tucson supermarket for a meet-and-greet with her supporters on January 8, 2011. A man fired a single shot to her brain. The shots he fired injured thirteen people and killed six.
Jared Lee Loughner, the gunman, was reaching to refuel his gun when he was attacked by a bystander; he later was arrested on the scene. An article in the New York Times shows that Loughner is considered to be troubled man who dropped out of college and had been charged with several other crimes. He will be appearing in court soon on the accounts of attempted assassination of a congressional member and attempted murder of two federal employees. More charges are pending.
Since the shooting, Giffords has shown tremendous progress. After enduring several surgeries, doctors were able to repair the damage to Giffords’ eye socket and reconstruct her skull. Since the surgeries, Giffords has smiled at husband, astronaut Mark E. Kelly, as well as opened her eyes. Recently, Giffords was moved to one of the top rehabilitation centers in the country, located in Dallas Texas.
Unfortunately, Gabrielle Giffords was not the only person injured at this tragic event. Christina-Taylor Green, who was born on September 11, 2001, was one of the six killed. Though September 11thwas one of the most tragic days in American history, Green was seen as a shinning young girl who had a promising future. The politically-mined nine-year-old, whom a NY Times article describes as having been recently elected as Student Council President at Mesa Verde Elementary School, was invited by her neighbor to attend the meet-and-greet with Gabrielle Giffords. Green received a single shot to the chest.
On January 14, 2011, President Barack Obama spoke out to all those who were grieving over the lost lives in the tragic shooting. The families of those who lost loved ones attended, including Christina-Taylor Green’s family. He honored those who were killed and the people who defended others during the event. President Obama spoke, finally, about the importance of honoring the victims by having civil discourse and being engaged in politics in the United States.