At a hospital press conference, it was reported that Gabrielle Giffords was out of surgery, and that she was shot once in the head, "through and through," through her brain. At that same press conference, doctors indicated that they are "very optimistic that" "Gabby" Giffords will survive.
The death toll may rise: at the time of the press conference, five people were still in surgery. U.S. District Judge John Roll died in the attack, and MSNBC reported on-air that he lived very close to the site, and "dropped in" for a handshake, only to be killed. Also said to be killed was a young girl, 9. 18 people in total were said to be shot during the attack, with at least five dead.
MSNBC on-air identified the shooter as Jared Loughner, 22. He is in custody.
Meanwhile, "Gabby" Giffords' husband, Mark Kelly, has reportedly just landed in Tucson, and will immediately head for the hospital to be at her side. Although the reports have been optimistic regarding her survival, an extended recovery, as is likely, will mean that Kelly will almost certainly bow out of the shuttle mission. Kelly is a three-time veteran of shuttle missions.
In addition, currently on the International Space Station (ISS) is Scott Kelly, Mark Kelly's twin brother. Scott Kelly has reportedly been told of the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords.
The April Endeavour mission is to deliver spare parts including a high-pressure gas tank, two S-band communications antennas, and additional spare parts for Dextre and micrometeoroid debris shields. In addition, a research center, AMS-02 was to be transported for installation on the ISS.
Gabrielle Giffords is originally from Tucson. She earned a bachelor's degree from Scripps College in 1993 and then her masters degree from Cornell University in regional planning in 1997. In the November elections, she managed to win her third term in Congress, by an extremely narrow 1 percent margin.
