Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords - Gawker's Adrian Chen spoke (update)

Gawker's Adrian Chen spoke to an eyewitness who says that the gunman walked up to Giffords and shot her in the head first. After shooting her he opened fire on the others, and was then tackled by a member of Giffords' staff. The shooter is described as being in his mid-to-late 20s, who looked like a "fringe character."

(via NPR)

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona was shot in the head outside a grocery store in Tucson while holding a public event, Arizona Public Media reported Saturday.

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

At least nine other people, including members of her staff, were hurt. Giffords was transported to University Medical Center in Tucson. Her condition was not immediately known.

Giffords was talking to a couple when the suspect ran up firing indiscriminately and then ran off, Michaels said.

The suspect was tackled by a bystander and taken into custody. He was not injured. Witnesses described him as in his late teens or early 20s.

Giffords was first elected to represent Arizona's 8th District in 2006. The "Congress on Your Corner" events allow constituents to present their concerns directly to her.