Ariz. Congresswoman Giffords shot; Dad: 'Entire tea party' her enemy
Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was clinging to life after a gunman shot her in the head in front of an Arizona grocery store where she was holding a public event, authorities said.
The three-term Democrat, who might have been shot at point blank range, was airlifted to University Medical Center in Tuscon where she was undergoing surgery, Reuters reported.
Nine others, including a child, also seriously injured in the bloody shooting spree were also being treated there, according to reports.
President Barack Obama said some are dead and Giffords was "gravely wounded." He called the shooting "an unspeakable tragedy" and that such "a senseless and terrible act of violence has no place in a free society.
The congresswomans father Spencer Gifford, 75, was rushing to the hospital when asked if his 40-year-old daughter had any enemies.
"Yeah," he told The Post. "The whole tea party."
He added that politicians constantly faced danger.
"They always get threat[ened]," Gifford cried. "We dont really have any information. The Police department was supposed to call us but they didnt."
The congresswoman was chatting up a couple during her first "Congress in Your Corner" event at the Tuscon Safeway when the maniacal gunman fired a fusillade of bullets at the crowd, reports said.
Giffords had excitedly promoted her event on Twitter.
"My 1st Congress on Your Corner starts now," she wrote. "Please stop by to let me know what is on your mind or tweet me later."
The gun-toting event crasher was tackled by a bystander and was taken into police custody, reports said.
"I am horrified by the senseless attack on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and members of her staff," House Speaker John Boehner said in statement.
"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."
The 40-year-old representative, who held her seat since 2007, held strong positions on immigration a Arizona flashpoint issue.
It is yet unclear what motivated the shooter. Like many other democrats, Giffords was threatened after the passage of health care reform in March, when the door to her Tuscon office had been smashed.The congresswoman, who held her seat since 2007, was married to U.S. astronaut Mark Kelly.
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