Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Given Details of Who Died in Tucson Shooting Rampage
Giffords Knew People Had Died From Shooting, But Did Not Know Who
Aug. 20, 2011 — -- The horrible details of the Jan. 8 shooting spree near Tucson, Ariz., have now been revealed to Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, according to her spokesman, C.J. Karamargin.
Giffords knew that six people had died in the rampage, but her family, staff and friends wanted to wait until she had recovered enough from her own gunshot wound to the head before telling her that among the dead are her close friend U.S. District Judge John Roll, 9-year-old Christina-Taylor Green, and her loyal aide Gabe Zimmerman.
Husband Mark Kelly said in June that Giffords knew how many people were killed or wounded but wasn't aware that Zimmerman and Roll were among them, according to The Associated Press.
"She was deeply saddened by it," said Karamargin, who is leaving Giffords' staff for a job with Pima Community College.
While Giffords apparently did not remember the shooting, which occurred while Giffords was meeting with constituents outside of a Safeway grocery store, Kelly said that she is now beginning to cope with the tragedy.
Giffords received the news in late July, a few days before her surprise visit to Capitol Hill on Aug. 1 to vote on the federal debt ceiling.
Since finding out, Giffords called Zimmerman's father, Ross Zimmerman, to express her condolences.
"She still has some trouble with language, but there is no question that she can get her point across and her comprehension is 100 percent," Zimmerman told The Arizona Republic. "It was Gabrielle -- it was nice to talk to her."
Both Giffords and Kelly were on the speakerphone during the conversation.
"It wasn't very long, but it covered important things," Zimmerman said, according to The Arizona Republic.
"She said she felt awful about Gabe. When Mark commented that she thought of him (Gabe) as her little brother, she said 'yes' very emphatically."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.