Girl Killed in Arizona Shooting Spree Was Born on 9/11, Loved Being Symbol of Nation's Hope

Jan. 10, 2011 — -- Christina-Taylor Green, 9, was excited about going to Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' informal town hall event this weekend. She started becoming interested in politics during the last presidential campaign.

"She had all kinds of patriotic little pins and what not and then she was on her way to being very political and very interested in government ...," her mother, Roxanna Green, said.

Christina-Taylor was a straight-A student. The "9/11 baby" sang on the church choir and was best friends with her older brother.

She had just been elected class president at Mesa Verde Elementary School and had planned to start a club at her school to help less fortunate classmates. It was that civic-mindedness that led her to a Safeway supermarket in Tucson Saturday morning.

Christina-Taylor "talked about getting all the parties to come together so we could live in a better country," her mother said Sunday. "She was going to Giffords' event to ask questions about how she could help and to learn more about politics in our country."

Her promise of a bright future in public service was snuffed out when she and five other people were shot and killed by a man who police say went to the venue to kill Giffords, 40. The congresswoman remains in serious condition after being shot in the head. Fourteen other people were wounded.

Among the dead are a federal judge and a Giffords aide. Christina-Taylor was shot once in the chest.

The alleged shooter, 22-year-old Jared Loughner, has been charged with multiple counts of murder and attempted murder.

"It's very ironic, and it says something about society when she comes in to the world on 9/11 and at 9 years old she leaves it this terrible day, but we wouldn't take back any of the nine years we had with her," her father, John Green, said.

Said her mother: "She had a great morning, she got up early ... and was talking about the event, and how excited she was. She was very mature for her age."

Christina-Taylor liked to sing and dance, and loved sports. She was the only girl on her Little League team, which wasn't surprising, considering that baseball is the family business.