Memorial held to remember victim’s of January 8th mass shooting 14 years later | News

TUCSON, Ariz. (KVOA) — It’s been 14 years since one of Tucson’s darkest days.

On January 8th, 2011 six people were killed and 18 injured after a shooting at a Congress On Your Corner event with former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords outside of a Safeway in Casa Adobes.

On Wednesday dozens of people, including several survivors, came together at the January 8th memorial downtown to remember the horrible day.

The event started with a law enforcement color guard that rang a ceremonial bell once for the 18 injured victims and six times for each victim that passed.

The victims who didn’t make it are Christina Taylor Green, Dorothy Morris, Judge John Roll, Phyllis Schneck, Dorwan Stoddard, and Gabe Zimmerman.

The MC for the memorial was Ron Barber, he was shot two times during the tragedy.

“It hurts deeply to remember those who were killed and [those] fortunately who survived,” he said. “All of us who were there were diagnosed with PTSD and my family has helped me through it.”

 For Barber, his two daughters Jenny Barber-Douglas and Crissi Barber-Blake helped him get through it.

“I think we feel compassion in a big way for the people who had family members and friends who passed and incredible gratitude our dad’s life was spared,” Crissi said.

Barber welcomed Gabby Giffords to the podium, she spoke briefly about her recovery and endurance and hopes to make an impact on violence involving guns. 

“I am relearning so many things, how to walk, how to talk, I am fighting to make our country safer,” she said.

Also present was Mark Kimble, he was part of Giffords’ staff that day and wasn’t injured but was close friends with two of the victims who didn’t survive.

“Gabe Zimmerman was my colleague in Gabby’s office, very good friend of mine, Judge Roll was in high school with me, he was a couple years older than me but I knew Judge Roll in high school, and members of his family. We lost 6 good people,” he said.

It was mentioned at the memorial service that Pima County Administrator Jan Lesher is trying to get the County to take over the memorial as part of “everyday County business” in an effort to better preserve and protect it.

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