Tucson vigil for shooting victims
- 12 years ago
PLEASE NOTE: EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL.
Arizona Democrat Gabrielle Giffords was among the thousands who turned out in Tucson to mark the first anniversary of the shooting spree that killed six people and wounded 13 more including herself.
Giffords, still recovering from the head injuries she suffered, was accompanied by her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly.
The shooting was carried out by a 23-year-old college dropout with a history of mental illness, a factor Kelly highlighted at the vigil.
SOUNDBITE: Mark Kelly, husband of Gabrielle Giffords, saying (English):
"For the past year we have had new realities to live with. The reality and pain of letting go of the past. The reality of letting go of dear friends and family members. There is also the pain of knowing that with adequate mental health intervention and treatment, that we may not be here tonight."
The vigil topped off a day-long series of anniversary tributes and memorials for Giffords.
She's also paid a surprise visit to the Tucson supermarket where the gunman opened fire on a crowd gathered for a Congress On Your Corner constituents meeting.
The gunman, Jared Loughner, was arrested at the scene of the shooting on January 8th, 2011.
He denied the charges against him but was ruled unfit to stand trial and confined to the psychiatric unit of a prison hospital.
Paul Chapman, Reuters
Arizona Democrat Gabrielle Giffords was among the thousands who turned out in Tucson to mark the first anniversary of the shooting spree that killed six people and wounded 13 more including herself.
Giffords, still recovering from the head injuries she suffered, was accompanied by her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly.
The shooting was carried out by a 23-year-old college dropout with a history of mental illness, a factor Kelly highlighted at the vigil.
SOUNDBITE: Mark Kelly, husband of Gabrielle Giffords, saying (English):
"For the past year we have had new realities to live with. The reality and pain of letting go of the past. The reality of letting go of dear friends and family members. There is also the pain of knowing that with adequate mental health intervention and treatment, that we may not be here tonight."
The vigil topped off a day-long series of anniversary tributes and memorials for Giffords.
She's also paid a surprise visit to the Tucson supermarket where the gunman opened fire on a crowd gathered for a Congress On Your Corner constituents meeting.
The gunman, Jared Loughner, was arrested at the scene of the shooting on January 8th, 2011.
He denied the charges against him but was ruled unfit to stand trial and confined to the psychiatric unit of a prison hospital.
Paul Chapman, Reuters