Giffords Fighting For Her Life

This is just absolutely awful.

Arizona Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head today during a constituency event outside a grocery store in Tuscon. Giffords later died of her injuries. She was only 40.

FNC is reporting that three other people were also killed including a child.

Giffords was elected to her third term as the representative for Arizona's Eighth District last November.

She is survived by her husband astronaut Mark E. Kelly.

UPDATE: Giffords is alive and in surgery.

Obviously, the situation is touch and go. But if she pulls through never will I have been so happy to get something wrong.

UPDATE: While Giffords has a long way to go there's a good chance she will survive her injuries.

Sadly, the same cannot be said for six other people who have now been identified.

Judge John Boll, the Chief Justice of the Arizona District Court, was a friend of Giffords and went over to her event to say hello with no way of knowing what was to happen.

Gabe Zimmerman, a member of Giffords' staff, is also amongst the dead. He was to be married this summer.

Christina Taylor Green had just been elected to her school's student council. What better way to learn about public service than to meet her local Congresswoman? She was only 9.

Dorwin Stoddard, a local pastor, also died in the attack. I haven't seen any details about the lives of Dorthy Murray and Phyllis Scheck other than if not for the act of a deranged man they would have woken up tomorrow.