[SatNews] While the news was certainly horrific, it normally would not be shared with SatNews' audience...the exception in this case is it involves our satellite and space family of sorts.

Today, Saturday, January 8, in Tucson, Arizona a gunman opened fire onto a crowd at a public event held by Representative Gabrielle Giffords at a Safeway grocery store.

The gunman, identified as Jared Lougher, 22, a military veteran shot the congresswoman and killed at least five people. The shot to the head of the congresswoman was described by a medical spokesperson as a 'through and through' injury, meaning that the bullet entered the congresswoman's skull and exited the skull without exploding inside her brain. It is reported that she has an excellent prognosis having already responded positively to directives by medical staff.

The dead included U.S. District Judge John Roll and a 9-year-old girl, President Obama said in a brief statement Saturday. Giffords was among at least 13 people injured, according to the Pima County, Arizona, sheriff's office.

Unfortunately National Public Radio (NPR) and other news organizations inaccurately reported earlier Saturday that Giffords had died.

Representative Gabrielle Giffords who was re-elected to a third term in November was hosting a "Congress on Your Corner" event at a Safeway in northwest Tucson when a gunman ran up and started shooting, according to Peter Michaels, news director of Arizona Public Media.

The suspect, Jared Lougher, fired indiscriminately from about four feet away and was tackled by a bystander and subsequently taken into custody.

Giffords is married to astronaut Mark E. Kelly, who has piloted space shuttles Endeavour and Discovery. The two met in China in 2003 while they were serving on a committee there, and were married in January 2007.

Gabrielle Giffords, who is Jewish, was born June 8, 1970, in Tucson and is married to Mark Kelly, a Navy pilot and astronaut with NASA with two children and they have their home in Tucson, Arizona. Her career began in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2006, she was a state senator for Arizona from 2002-05; a state representative in Arizona from 2000-02. She graduated from Scripps College, in 1993 with a BA; Cornell University with a MS in 1996; and was a Fulbright Scholar in Mexico in1996.

Newly elected House Speaker John Boehner condemned the attack. "An attack on one who serves is an attack on all who serve," he said in a statement. "Acts and threats of violence against public officials have no place in our society."

SatNews extends our sincere wishes for a complete recovery to Congresswoman Giffords and strength to Astronaut Kelly and their family during this difficult time.