Arizona Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords Shot At Public Event

Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was among several others who were shot at close range at a public event at a Safeway grocery store in Tucson, Ariz. on Saturday. There have been conflicting reports on whether she was killed, but a hospital spokesperson says that she is alive and in critical condition, according to NPR. 

The shooter, a young white male in his mid-to-late 20s, shot at least 12 people, according to NPR. The suspect is currently in custody. The event was the first leg of Giffords' "Congress on Your Corner" event of the year. She was talking to a couple when the gunman approached, and then shot her. The suspect ran off, but was tackled by a bystander.

There are conflicting reports on how many deaths occurred at the scene, but President Obama said in a statement "we know that some have passed away" and Giffords was "gravely wounded."

Giffords, a Democrat, was first elected to the House in 2006. She scored a 92% on the Human Rights Campaign's Congressional Scorecard during the 111th session of Congres. She voted to repeal "don't ask, dont' tell," and was a cosponsor on several gay rights bills, including the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, the Tax Equity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act, and the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which passed in 2009. 

According to the New York Times, Giffords's office was vandalized in March hours after the House approved major the health care reform vote. After the vote, she was one of the 20 Democrats targeted for defeat by Sarah Palin's takebackthe20 campaign. According to the Washington Post, the campaign's website included a map showing gun-like cross hairs over each targeted Congressmember's district. Takebackthe20.com has been taken down as of Saturday afternoon.

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