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  • Gabrielle Giffords Skydives on Shooting Anniversary

    On January 8, 2011 a gunman opened fire at a supermarket meet-and-greet in Tucson, Arizona, hitting former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in the head and critically injuring her. Six others were killed and thirteen were wounded.

    The shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, is now serving a life sentence in prison.

    Exactly three years later, after lots of rehabilitation, including learning to speak, walk, read, and write again, Giffords marked the anniversary of the shooting with a skydive jump between Tucson and Pheonix Wednesday afternoon.

    According to Yahoo News, Giffords blew kisses and waved to cheering onlookers after she landed safely and without injury.

    Jimmy Hatch, former Navy SEAL who accompanied the divers on the plane said, “She was the least nervous person on the plane. They did a little moment of silence at the drop zone…The emotion was really heavy. Then she smiled and said, ‘Let’s go.’”

    Giffords posted on her Facebook page yesterday before the jump.

    Post by Gabrielle Giffords.

    Gifford’s husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, also took to social media to express happiness for his wife.

    On Wednesday, about 100 residents attended a bell-ringing ceremony outside the University of Arizona Medical Center in Tucson, where those who were injured by the gunman were treated.

    “The wounds are still there. Time helps, but it doesn’t heal all the wounds,” Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild said. “I think the commemorations are, in large part, recognition of our community’s collective care and compassion and grit to go on.”

    A bell was rung once for each of the six killed and twelve injured.

    Before her jump, Vice President Joe Biden called Giffords to wish her luck.

    “Gabby’s courage & determination has been absolutely inspirational,” Biden wrote on his office’s Twitter account, to which Giffords responded:

    Giffords anniversary jump was broadcast on NBC’s Today show this morning.

    Image via Facebook

  • Tucson Photos Released Of Shooting Scene

    Nearly 600 photos have been released related to the 2011 Arizona shooting, which killed six people and severely wounded then-Rep. Gabby Giffords.

    Police say that most of the pictures of the victims have not been included. Instead, they show shooter Jared Lee Loughner’s motel room, cell phones, and the guns and ammunition he used in the attack. He was found to have two magazines that held up to 31 bullets, two 15-round magazines, and a 4-inch knife among other things on his person.

    In November, Loughner was sentenced to seven consecutive life sentences plus 140 years after he pleaded guilty to the federal charges against him. The photos, plus thousands of pages of reports, were released due to his sentencing. Also released were photos of the crime scene directly after police arrived, which show bullet fragments found on the ground and a police cruiser which was turned into a makeshift whiteboard so officers could scrawl notes on it.

    Loughner showed up at a grocery store in Tucson that day and opened fire into the crowd that had gathered for a meet-and-greet with Giffords. She was shot in the head and suffered severe injuries which took months to recover from; as of today, she’s had no comment on the release of the photos.