Today is Friday, January 8th, 2021.

On this day in 2011, 22-year-old Jared Lee Loeffner attended a public event held by Arizona

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords with one goal in mind, assassination.

Welcome to Today in True Crime, a Spotify original from Parcast. Due to the graphic nature of

today's crimes, listener discretion is advised.

This episode includes discussions of gun violence that some people may find upsetting.

Extreme caution is advised for listeners under 13.

Today we're covering the attempted murder of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

Let's go back to a grocery store parking lot in Tucson, Arizona, on the morning of January 8, 2011.

The event was dubbed Congress on Your Corner and was a chance for Tucson locals to meet and speak with their representative.

To make the event feel informal, 40-year-old Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords set up outside a grocery store.

Giffords, who was just beginning her third term in the U.S. House of Representatives was seated behind a table in the parking lot,

chatting amiably with her constituents. A small number of people were lined up to speak with her, eager to be heard.

It was not long after the event started that a young man stepped up to the table.

22-year-old Jared Lee Loeffner was wearing a gray, hooded sweatshirt that morning,

which might have made him look like your average college student.

But with his face somewhat obscured by the hood, a beanie and sunglasses, there was no

way to see the darkness in his eyes.

Without warning, Loeffner produced a 9-millimeter Glock pistol and aimed at the Congresswoman.

At point-blank range, he shot Giffords in the head, sending a wave of panic through the crowd.

Then he turned and aimed his semi-automatic weapon

at the small crowd and opened fire. He got off 33 rounds, hitting 19 people before he paused

...