UPDATE, 11:59AM PT: Tucson, AZ University Medical Center on CNN: Gifford is alive, and in surgery. "I can confirm that she was shot in the head," said a hospital spokesperson. Among the shooting victims in critical condition, one child was shot.

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) was among the estimated 15 or more victims of a shooting outside a Safeway store in Tucson, Arizona within the past hour. So far, 15 are reported wounded, 6 dead. Details are still coming in, but what has been reported so far: she was "shot point blank in the head," the assailant(s) fired some 15 or more shots into the crowd, and this took place at a "town hall" sort of event during where Giffords was speaking to her constituents. One shooter is reported to be alive and in custody.

Early news reports: NPR, NYT, CNN, Tucson Citizen.

Above, a tweet the congresswoman published just before the gathering began.

Also: "Congresswoman Giffords is married to astronaut Mark Kelly, making her the only current member of Congress to have a spouse who is a member of the Armed Forces, and the only member of Congress to ever have a spouse in space." Kelly is the Commander of Space Shuttle Mission STS-134.

Gifford was among those in Arizona whose offices were targeted with vandalism and threats during the health care debate in 2009.

(via @nytjim)

Giffords was also one of the lawmakers Sarah Palin "set her sights on" in the Palin PAC infographic below (takebackthe20.com). The congresswoman and others are targeted with simulated gun sights on a map of the United States.

(thanks, @niftyjames)

UPDATE, 12:11PM PT : Sarah Palin has issued a statement here.





Source: Sarah Palin's TAKE BACK THE 20 website.



Below, Rep. Giffords' opponent ran this ad during the election cycle:



