Congressman Gregory W. Meeks Statement on the Tragic Shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and Others in Arizona

(JAMAICA, NEW YORK)– Congressman Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY-06) released the following statement on the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ-08) and the death of six innocent bystanders today in Tucson, Arizona:

“I am shocked and saddened by the shooting of my friend and an extraordinary colleague, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona’s 8th Congressional District. The death of her Director of Community Outreach, as well as Arizona federal district chief judge John Roll and other bystanders at the Congresswoman’s first 'Congressional Corner,' is tragic at every level. The essential features of our democracy is the dynamic of elected officials listening to the issues of our neighbors raise and assembling with them freely in open dialogue without fear, intimidation or violence. Congresswoman Gifford was doing what she loves best — talking with and earnestly listening to her constituents’ concerns.

"On behalf of my wife Simone-Marie, family, staff, and constituents, I ask all New Yorkers to keep Gabrielle, her husband Captain Mark Kelley, their entire family, her staff and the shooting victims in your thoughts and prayers. I also would like to extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of her Director of Community Outreach, Chief Judge Roll, Christina Taylor Green, a third grader and others who were killed in today’s incident.”