In all the discussion of the horrific and tragic shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona today, let's not forget the other victims, particularly Federal Judge John Roll, who, as Dave Weigel notes was also the victim of numerous death threats for his role in a ruling involving ranchers and immigrants:
Hundreds of threats cascaded into the chambers of John M. Roll, the chief U.S. district judge in Arizona, in February after he allowed a lawsuit filed by illegal immigrants against a rancher to go forward. "They cursed him out, threatened to kill his family, said they'd come and take care of him. They really wanted him dead," said a law enforcement official who heard the calls -- which came from as far as Richmond and Baltimore -- but spoke on condition of anonymity because no one has been charged.
David Gonzales, the U.S. marshal in Arizona, said deputies went online and found Roll's home address posted on a Web site containing threatening comments. They put the judge under 24-hour protection for about a month, guarding his home in a secluded area just outside Tucson, screening his mail and escorting him to court, to the gym and to Mass. "Some deputies went to church more in a week than they had in their lives," Gonzales said.
It certainly raises the possibility that Roll was also a secondary target of the shooter (witnesses say he clearly targeted Giffords). More on Roll here.
We're still trying to obtain a full list of the names of the victims of today's tragedy. Here's what we have so far, via the the HuffPo:
Giffords spokesman C.J. Karamargin said three Giffords staffers were shot in the attack. One died, and the other two are expected to survive. Gabe Zimmerman, a former social worker who served as Giffords' director of community outreach, died.
According to CNN, one of the victims pronounced dead at the hospital was a 9-year-old girl:
In all, six people died and 12 were wounded in the shooting, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Arizona, according to Rick Kastigar, bureau chief for the Pima County Sheriff's Department.
President Barack Obama later said Chief Judge John Roll of the U.S. District Court for Arizona was among the dead.
A 9-year-old girl also died in the attack, according to authorities. The child, whose identity had not been released, was pronounced dead at a hospital.
We'll update as the names become available.
UPDATE: KVOA has the names of those killed in today's shooting:
-John Roll, 63, a federal district court judge.
-Gabriel Zimmerman, 30, Giffords' director of community outreach
-Dorwin Stoddard, 76, a pastor at Mountain Ave. Church of Christ.
-Christina Greene, 9, a student at Mesa Verde Elementary
-Dorthy Murray, 76
-Phyllis Scheck, 79
May they all rest in peace. My condolences and prayers go out to their families tonight.
UPDATE 2:
Pastor Dorwin Stoddard died shielding his wife from the gunshots.
Jessica Knapp, who works with the youth group at the Mountain Avenue church, said Dorwan Stoddard tried to protect his wife during the rampage and was hit in the head.
“He got on top of her and tried to shield her,” said Knapp, relaying information from church secretary Jody Nowak. Nowak and her husband, Mike, the church’s minister, called Knapp from the hospital where Mavy Stoddard was being treated.
