[Infowarrior] - AZ Congresswoman, 6 Others, Killed By Gunman

[Richard Forno]

Congresswoman, 6 Others, Killed By Gunman
January 8, 2011

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

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and six others died after a gunman opened fire at a public event on Saturday, member station KJZZ in Phoenix has confirmed.

The Pima County, Ariz., sheriff's office told news director Mark Moran the 40-year-old Democrat was killed.

Giffords, 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.

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.

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

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