Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head at close range by a gunman Saturday morning outside a grocery store in Tucson while holding a public event, Fox News has confirmed.
Eight others were shot, including three of the Arizona Democrat's aides, at Giffords' "Your Corner" event held at a Safeway grocery story. A suspect is in custody.
Fox just confirmed that Gabby Giffords, a blue dog democrat from Arizona, is dead. Twelve to fifteen people are reportedly shot, and there are multiple fatalities. Our prayers go out to the Giffords family, and to the families of all the victims.
Update: Now Fox, MSNBC, and NPR are reporting that Giffords is alive and in critical condition. Reports are sketchy. We'll just have to wait until more information is available.
I'm speechless. I just heard that one of the fatalities is a child.
ReplyDeleteLive updates here from HuffPo. Now there are reports that Giffords is NOT dead, but in critical condition at University Hospital.
ReplyDeleteJohn Boehner: “I am horrified by the senseless attack on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and members of her staff. An attack on one who serves is an attack on all who serve. Acts and threats of violence against public officials have no place in our society. Our prayers are with Congresswoman Giffords, her staff, all who were injured, and their families. This is a sad day for our country."
ReplyDeleteMost national sources are getting their updates from local news here. Local news here is pretty confused as well. UMC will be holding a press conference at 1330 local (MST).
ReplyDeleteWhat a senseless tragedy.
Very senseless, Luther.
ReplyDeleteLatest report: 19 shot, 5 dead. This kind of crap isn't supposed to happen here. I'm shocked, saddened, and angry all at the same time.
We'll probably not know many of the facts until this evening, although the hospital in AZ treating most of the victims will shortly be holding a press conference.
ReplyDeleteHow f@#$ed up is this? Last I heard was 19 people shot.
Dear Lord, 19 people shot by ONE gunman? This is just awful.
ReplyDeleteA federal district judge is one of the fatalities, a man named John Roll.
ReplyDeleteNow they're saying that Roll is alive. Jeepers guys, get it straight!
ReplyDeleteThe surgeon just said the only fatality is the child. Lord.
ReplyDeleteAnd then that fuckup Shepherd Smith goes on to comment "well, we've gotten good news" (referring to the fact that the rep. survived the surgery). What an insensitive moron.
The reporting has been awful. Fox is as bad as the rest of them. Florrie, you're right...no one seems to care about the dead child. It's sickening.
ReplyDeleteAnd now Obama is about to talk to us. Great.
Jarred Loughner. Who the hell is he?
ReplyDeleteYes, even now, hours later, our local news is having problems getting the facts straight.
Fox is reporting 5 dead.
ReplyDeleteAtlas' blog suggests a deranged, anti-American fantasist.
ReplyDeleteEarl
Jarred Loughner. Who the hell is he?
ReplyDeleteABC is reporting that he's a Vet. Great.
From the rants he posted on MySpace and YouTube it seems to me he's not angry, he's actually batshit crazy (as in clinical schizophrenic).
My quick take on incomplete info (contingent on further reports):
Clinically insane + functionally competent + good marksman = just about the worse case scenario.
Such a combination is unlikely - most good marksmen are sane, and most crazy people are incompetent and not that great at shooting. But when it happens, it happens.
The good news is that there is no "deeper meaning" in this (though that won't prevent the "narratives" from being spun).
The bad news is that there is no "deeper meaning" in this - it just sucks; another in the long line of incomprehensible shit that just sucks...
Welcome to TCKT, Earl. Yeah, the shooter appears to be a bigtime nutcase.
ReplyDeleteOT
ReplyDeleteThx, lr. Ari and annie have been in contact over the months, but I still cannot log on easily to this bloody site with a Mac... Dammit!
On topic:
HuffPo has good updated coverage. But the level of hyperobole and poison that has permeated the US political system in the past several years appears to have borne a toxic, foetid fruit today. A child and a judge, among others, were murdered. This is utter madness- and, per lewy 14, at short range, even an insane person may prove to be a sufficiently-accurate marksman (viz., Gamil Gharbi).
Earl
Hello Earl - I'd be happy to help you with logging in - what kind of problems are you having logging in? I have a Mac too - what browser are you using? Do you have a Google account?
ReplyDeleteI log in from my Mac with no problem, either.
ReplyDeleteI see the the left is falling all over itself blaming this on Palin and the Tea Party. Yeah, they inspire someone whose favorite hobby is burning the American flag and whose favorite book is the Communist Manifesto.
Decency says I should only be thinking about the victims right now. However, the left constantly tries to use our decency agains us.
More horrors perpetrated by a deranged man.
ReplyDeleteOf course the story will be that he was a right-wing loon and that if there was just no access to civilian firearms none of this would have happened.
But at this point, that does not matter.
All that matters is those who were killed and those who were wounded and those who love them.
I think your take is pretty accurate, lewy.
ReplyDeleteDitto to your comment as to the aftermath reporting, Dances.
ReplyDelete"All that matters is those who were killed and those who were wounded and those who love them."
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely right Dances.
Hot Air has a couple of videos from the shooters blog site up.
ReplyDeleteHe was obviously purely insane and/or heavily drugged.
And Star & tripes reports that the Army has no record of any kind of enlistment contract for Loughner.
ReplyDeleteWell, that didn't take long:
ReplyDeleteThe sheriff pointed to the vitriolic political rhetoric that has consumed the country as he denounced the shooting that claimed several of his friends as victims, including U.S. District Judge John Roll. The judge celebrated Mass on Saturday morning like he does every day before stopping by to say hello to his good friend Giffords.
"When you look at unbalanced people, how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government. The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous," the sheriff said. "And unfortunately, Arizona I think has become the capital. We have become the mecca for prejudice and bigotry."
Jeebus florrie, that sheriff is doing exactly what he is accusing others of doing - fomenting anger, hate, and bigotry.
ReplyDeleteHe should be ashamed of himself. Adding a spark to the national tinderbox is wrong-headed and irresponsible.
"All that matters is those who were killed and those who were wounded and those who love them."
ReplyDeleteYes, DWT. That is all that really matters.
The left is frothing at the mouth. I gather that the game plan is to blame Palin, Beck, and the Tea Party. How original.
ReplyDeleteThere's no sense in arguing with them; it's the SSDD. Some of louder ranters are so self-righteously manic that they can't even hear themselves. It's freaky. And sad.
Tragedies like today should bring us together as a nation, not be a soapbox for empty-headed ideology and personal narcissism.
Jeebus florrie, that sheriff is doing exactly what he is accusing others of doing - fomenting anger, hate, and bigotry.
ReplyDeleteHe should be ashamed of himself. Adding a spark to the national tinderbox is wrong-headed and irresponsible.
Well-said as always, lady red. I just shook my head when I heard him. For shame.
I figured it would be at least 24 hours before the left blamed the usual suspects (Bush, Beck, Rush, Tea Party...).
No one is to blame except the shooter.
I'm getting nervous for Palin. Please G-d no other nuts come out of the woodwork.
ReplyDeleteAll legislative business has been canceled for next week. Good idea. There's too many nuts out there (of all stripes).
ReplyDeleteOur politicians would be wise to lay low until things simmer down.
I can't believe this is happening in my country...
It's off to bed for me. Goodnight, dear friends.
ReplyDeleteGood night, lady red.
ReplyDelete