Tucson shooting victims: lives remembered
By James Buck and Melissa Bell
From top left: Christina-Taylor Green, Dorothy Morris, Judge John Roll, Gabe Zimmerman, Dorwin Stoddard and Phyllis Schneck (AP)
Christina-Taylor Green, Gabe Zimmerman and Dorwin Stoddard were three of the 20 people shot on Saturday at a street corner meeting in Tucson between a local congresswoman and her constituents. The event turned into a massacre, when a man identified by police as Jared Loughner opened fire on the crowd with a semi-automatic weapon.
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) remains in critical condition; six people were killed. Who were the vicitims? Read about their lives here and add your memories and condolences on each person's Face of the Fallen page:
Christina-Taylor Green: A "Face of Hope," this 9-year-old politician often wore red, white and blue in honor of her country.
Christina-Taylor Green: Arizona shooting victim, third-grader, budding politician
By James Buck and Melissa Bell
Christina-Taylor Green (AP)
Christina-Taylor, a third-grade student at Mesa Verde Elementary School, had recently been elected to her school council. She went to meet Giffords, eager to learn more about politics.
She also was an avid baseball player, fielding second base. Her father John Green is a scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers and her grandfather is former major league pitcher and ex-Philadelphia Phillies manager Dallas Green.
Read more about Christina-Taylor here.
Read about the reaction of the sports world to Christina-Taylor's death here.
Christina-Taylor Green's mother, Roxanna Green speaks about her daughter:
CHRISTINA TAYLOR GREEN, 9:
Christina Taylor Green was only 9, but the third-grader already was an aspiring politician. Her parents say Christina had just been elected to the student council at Mesa Verde Elementary School and had been interested in politics from a young age. She already had told her parents she wanted to attend Penn State and have a career that involved helping those less fortunate than her. The brown-eyed athletic girl loved to swim with her 11-year-old brother Dallas, her lone sibling. Her mother, Roxanna Green, said Christina also loved animals, singing, dancing and gymnastics. She also was the only girl on her Canyon del Oro Little League baseball team. Her grandfather, former major-league pitcher Dallas Green, managed the 1980 world champion Philadelphia Phillies. Christina's father, John Green, is a scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Christina was born on the tragic day of Sept. 11, 2001.
Gabe Zimmerman: Recently engaged and one of Giffords's aides, he was known as a master in dealing with other people.
Gabe Zimmerman: Arizona shooting victim, community outreach volunteer, and fiance
By James Buck
Gabe Zimmerman (AP)
The Wall Street Journal writes that his mother Emily Nottingham said, "He loved his job working as a congressional aide because it allowed him to be involved in developing social policy while giving direct assistance to those who needed help, such as veterans and people with mental illness."
Zimmerman had worked with Giffords since her first congressional race in 2006, the Arizona Daily Star reports, and his friends described him as having a natural talent at working with other people.
Gabe Zimmerman in 2009 (Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans)
The Wall Street Journal reports that there are no plans yet for a funeral service.
GABE ZIMMERMAN, 30:
Gabe Zimmerman, the director of community outreach for U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, handled thousands of issues raised by constituents out of the congresswoman's offices in Tucson and Sierra Vista. Co-workers say Zimmerman, who had a master's degree in social work, cared passionately about helping people. "He was a master at dealing with people," said C.J. Karamargin, a spokesman for Giffords. Zimmerman was one of the Giffords staffers who organized many public events where voters could meet Giffords and talk to her about issues. Zimmerman, who is survived by a brother, was engaged to be married.
John M. Roll: A widely respected federal judge, Roll received death threats in 2009 after his decision allowed a case brought forward by illegal immigrants to proceed to a jury trial.
John M. Roll: Arizona shooting victim, federal judge and grandfather
By James Buck and Melissa Bell
Federal District Judge John Roll (Dennis Cook/AP)
"I have never met a more sincere ... fair minded, brilliant federal judge or any judge for that matter in my whole life," Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik told the Associated Press.
In 2009 Roll presided over a controversial immigration suit that sparked hundreds of death threats and was put under 24-hour protection for about a month. Roll told the Post in May 2009 that "any judge who goes through this knows it's a stressful situation" and that he and his family were grateful for the protection. Officials do not think the death threats were connected to Saturday's shooting.
U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who recommended Roll for federal appointment, said, "Words are inadequate to express such a profound loss to his family, friends, state and country, but it is appropriate to note that a man of great qualities and character was struck down today." Roll is survived by his wife, Maureen, three sons, and five grandchildren.
On his son Christopher's Facebook page, friends left messages of condolence, writing, "Chris your father is a true hero and mentor. He will be missed dearly." and "My dad and I were remembering what an amazing father, friend, and judge your dad was.
JOHN ROLL, 63:
Named Arizona's chief federal judge in 2006, U.S. District Judge John M. Roll won acclaim for a career as a respected jurist and leader who had pushed to beef up the court's strained bench to handle a growing number of border crime-related cases. Roll was appointed to the federal bench in 1991 by President George H.W. Bush. He previously served as a state trial judge and as a judge on the midlevel Arizona Court of appeals, and as a county and state prosecutor. Bishop Gerald Kicanas of the Roman Catholic Church's Tucson Diocese said Roll was an active parishioner. "He lived his faith as a servant of our nation for the cause of justice," Kicanas said. Roll was a Pennsylvania native who got his law degree from the University of Virginia. He is survived by his wife, Maureen, three sons, and five grandchildren.
Dorwin Stoddard: A fixture at the Mountain Avenue Church of Christ, Stoddard blocked his wife from gunfire, eyewitness reports said.
Dorwin Stoddard: Arizona shooting victim, husband, church leader
By James Buck and Melissa Bell
Dorwin Stoddard (AP)
The pair had met in their youth, but gone on to marry other people. After both their spouses passed away, they rekindled their love and married. The couple were active members at the Mountain Avenue Church of Christ, AOL News reports.
Phyllis Schneck: A great-grandmother, the 79-year-old retiree admired Giffords's stance on border safety.
Phyllis Schneck: Arizona shooting victim, widow, and great-grandmother
By James Buck and Melissa Bell
B.J. Offutt, daughter of Phyllis Schneck, holds up photos of her mother. (AP)
Phyllis Schneck (AP)
According to the Wall Street Journal, Schneck's daughter B.J. Offutt said that her mother was not particularly politically active, but that she admired Giffords' stance on border protection.
Schneck is survived by three children, seven grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.
PHYLLIS SCHNECK, 79:
When Phyllis Schneck and her husband retired, they spent their winters in Tucson and summers in their native Rutherford, N.J. "They didn't want to ever have to deal with the snow again," said Schneck's daughter, B.J. Offutt of Colorado Springs, Colo. Schneck, who continued to return to Tucson in the winters even after her husband died in 2007, was a homemaker who raised her two daughters and one son and had a talent for cooking. In retirement, Schneck kept herself occupied by volunteering at her church. Her home in Tucson was less than four miles from the supermarket where the shooting took place. Offutt said her mother's appearance at the store was surprising, because she normally shopped at a different store and wasn't very political. Schneck is survived by her three children, seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Dorothy Morris: The 76-year-old retiree, Dorothy Morris, attended the event with her husband and high school sweetheart George Morris.
Dorothy Morris: Arizona shooting victim, married to high school sweetheart, and mother
By James Buck and Melissa Bell
Dorothy Morris (AP/The Arizona Republic)
The couple were Reno High School sweethearts, according to the Gazette-Journal, and have two daughters, Kim Hardy and Tori Nelson, who live in Las Vegas.
No comments:
Post a Comment