Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) was shot at a campaign event in Tuscon this morning, Giffords was reportedly shot in the head after a man approached the event and began firing, also hitting 12 other people, including three Giffords staffers:
Giffords was talking to a couple when the suspectran up and fired indiscriminately from about four feet away, [Peter Michaels, news director of Arizona Public Media] said.
There have yet to be any indications that the shooting was political. Giffords was, however, a controversial figure in her district for her support of health care reform, immigration reform, and other issues. At a town hall event in 2009, also at a Safeway grocery store, her staffers had to call police after an angry constituent left a gun behind: When healthcare reform passed in March, Giffords was one of 10 Democrats who “report[ed] death threats, incidents of harassment or vandalism at their district offices.” The front door to her district office was shattered.
Last year, Sarah Palin's PAC posted a map with gun cross-hairs over the districts of several Democrats who voted for health care reform, including Giffords.
On Facebook, Palin has offered her "sincere condolences": My sincere condolences are offered to the family of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the other victims of today's tragic shooting in Arizona.
Giffords' opponent in the recent election, Jesse Kelly, held a campaign event in June where participants were invited to shoot an automatic weapon with the candidate, which was advertised as a chance to "get on target for victory in November help remove Gabrielle Giffords from office"
Obituary: Fox , NPR, ABC, others, reporting that Giffords, 40, has died. Fox reports "four others, including a child" also dead. "Lone shooter" in custody, according to "U.S. officials", says Fox.
Olbermann is doing a Saturday special report tonight on MSNBC.
According to the Daily Beast: Arizona officials have identified 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner, who they believe is a veteran, as the alleged shooter behind today’s attack.
While no details about Loughner have been confirmed, some unsettling YouTube videos filmed just weeks ago have been attributed to him. One video consists of a mix between delusional rants and harrowing warnings. After explaining his opposition to what he calls “treasonous laws,” he goes on to write, “In conclusion, reading the second United States Constitution, I can’t trust the current government because of the ramifications: The government is implying mind control and brainwash on the people by controlling grammar.” He continues “No! I won’t pay debt with a currency that’s not backed by gold and silver! No! I won’t trust in God!”
No comments:
Post a Comment