Ann Kirkpatrick: “8 years ago today, at 10:10 a.m., 19 members of the Tucson community were shot in a despicable act of violence that…”

“8 years ago today, at 10:10 a.m., 19 members of the Tucson community were shot in a despicable act of violence that shocked the Nation. They were attending a Congress on Your Corner event, where Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was meeting with her constituents, when they were gunned down in a senseless tragedy that killed 6 and wounded 13. The shooter fired his weapon 33 times in less than 20 seconds and was attempting to reload his handgun when the courageous actions of three people stopped him. Had they not done so, many others would have been wounded or killed. The six people who died were: Christina-Taylor Green, Dorothy ``Dot'' Morris, Federal Judge John Roll, Phyllis Schneck, Dorwan Stoddard, and Gabriel ``Gabe'' Zimmerman. People who were wounded by the gunmen were: Bill Badger; Congressman Ron Barber, who is now my district director; Ken Dorushka; James Fuller; Randy Gardner; Congresswoman Gabby Giffords; Suzi Hileman; George Morris; Mary Reed; Pam Simon; Mavy Stoddard; Jim Tucker; and Kenneth Veeder. The members of my community had never seen such a devastating tragedy before, and yet they responded with compassion and kindness toward the survivors and the families of those who were murdered. They did not let this horrific tragedy define who we were. Three memorials sprang up spontaneously: at the site of the shooting, at Congresswoman Gifford's office, and at the university hospital where the most seriously wounded were taken.…”