2:29 am UTC Jan. 8, 2021
Emma McMahon and her family were near the end of a line in front of a Safeway supermarket outside Tucson. It was a sunny January Saturday morning and they were waiting to see Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was hosting an event she called Congress on Your Corner, a chance for constituents to bring questions and concerns.
Emma, then 17, was a senior at Salpointe Catholic High School. She had worked as a page for Giffords in Washington, D.C., but somehow she d never gotten a picture of herself with the congresswoman. That was her goal for the
day.
4:50 pm UTC Jan. 8, 2021
Unbidden, Gabby Giffords broke into song. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, she began in a clear voice, a broad smile on her face. It is a favorite hymn, one she was shown playing on her French horn in a clip at the Democratic National Convention last summer. That saved a wretch like me.
The former Arizona congresswoman had been talking to USA TODAY about the difficult, momentous year of pandemic and politics, one that ended with the election of her husband, Mark Kelly, to the U.S. Senate seat once held by John McCain.
But she was also talking about the difficult, momentous decade since she was grievously wounded by a gunman at a listening session she was holding outside a Tucson Safeway. On that Saturday morning, six others who had gathered to see her were killed. Their assailant would be sentenced to life in prison.
4:50 pm UTC Jan. 8, 2021
Unbidden, Gabby Giffords broke into song. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, she began in a clear voice, a broad smile on her face. It is a favorite hymn, one she was shown playing on her French horn in a clip at the Democratic National Convention last summer. That saved a wretch like me.
The former Arizona congresswoman had been talking to USA TODAY about the difficult, momentous year of pandemic and politics, one that ended with the election of her husband, Mark Kelly, to the U.S. Senate seat once held by John McCain.
But she was also talking about the difficult, momentous decade since she was grievously wounded by a gunman at a listening session she was holding outside a Tucson Safeway. On that Saturday morning, six others who had gathered to see her were killed. Their assailant would be sentenced to life in prison.
The claims are typical of many that arise during major news events and particularly violent acts; fringe communities often label them "false flag" attacks.