Rep. Gabrielle Giffords remains in critical condition after the fatal shooting outside a Tucson supermarket Saturday afternoon. Remembrances are pouring in for the six victims who lost their lives after 22-year-old shooter Jared Lee Loughner opened fire.
U.S. District Judge John Roll had a prominent career, making headlines two years ago after ruling on a $32 million civil-rights case. In 2009, Roll received death threats after ruling that illegal immigrants were allowed to file a lawsuit against an Arizona rancher. The federal judge, originally from Pennsylvania, was appointed by former President George H.W. Bush in 1991 and served as Arizona’s district judge since 2006.
Police officials also reported the death of Gabe Zimmerman, a 30-year-old aide to Giffords who was engaged to be married. Zimmerman was a hard-working community outreach aide, and organized the “ Congress on Your Corner” event at the supermarket. He worked with Giffords and her campaign since 2007 and was responsible for garnering legislative recognition for the Scleroderma Foundation, an organization that works toward fighting the disease. A support group leader for the foundation broke down when told of Zimmerman’s death. “He was such a very nice man,” she said. “Very receptive, very attentive, very concerned. He expressed extra concern about this autoimmune disease because he had a relative who suffered with one, too.”
A 76-year-old man, Dorwin Stoddard, was also identified among the dead. Stoddard and his wife Mavy were waiting in line to speak with Giffords when the gunman attacked. Mavy was shot in the legs and is expected to recover, but her husband, who volunteered and did handy work at Mountain Avenue Church of Christ, was shot dead on the scene. The couple were retirees and avid travelers—they spent half the year traveling and returned to Tucson every October. Dorwin and Mavy visited 28 countries and all 50 states. The couple’s minister said the hardworking man “always gave of himself and never asked for anything in return.” The Stoddards were high school sweethearts who reconnected after both of their spouses passed away.
The youngest victim of the shooting was 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green, who was attending the listening event with a neighbor. Green was interested in politics at an early age and had just been elected onto her elementary school’s student council. She was an avid ballerina, but hailed from a family of baseball players—she was the daughter of the L.A. Dodgers scout John Green and the granddaughter of former major league pitcher and former Phillies manager Dallas Green. In a tragic twist, the young girl was born on 9/11 and was featured as one of 50 children in a book titled Faces of Hope. In a heartbreaking interview with Fox News, Christina's mother, Roxanna Green, spoke out about her daughter and her senseless death. “From the very beginning, she was an amazing child. She was very bright, very mature, off the charts.” Green’s neighbor was shot four times and is recovering from surgery.
Another victim is Phyllis Schneck, who lived about four miles away from the Safeway supermarket where the shooting took place. The 79-year-old Tucson resident was retired. Officials initially took down another victim’s name as Dorothy Murray, but later corrected it to Dorothy Morris. The 76-year-old resident was also retired and for now little information about her is available.