Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband had a special request in court Thursday as they met the crazed gunman who nearly killed her last year — they wanted to talk to him face to face.
“It was the first time she’d ever really seen him,” astronaut Mark Kelly told NBC’s “Today” show Friday.
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“Gabby and I went up to the podium, and asked the judge to address him directly,” he said.
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Kelly explained what it was like for his wife to stand just inches from Jared Lee Loughner, the man who opened fire on a crowd of people outside a Tuscon-area supermarket last January, killing 6 and injuring 13, including his wife.
“Gabby’s eyes were locked on him the entire time,” Kelly said.
They were having “quite the staring contest,” he added.
Shaky but strong, Giffords stood silently as her husband read a statement to Loughner.
“Mr. Loughner, you may have put a bullet through her head, but you haven’t put a dent in her spirit and her commitment to make the world a better place,” Kelly said.
Loughner, 24, was sentenced to life in prison.
He showed no emotion in court, refusing to acknowledge his weeping parents or victims who spoke on behalf of lost loved ones.
But “he was paying attention to what we were saying,” Kelly said.
Giffords’ focus is recovery, he added, saying that improvements will likely happen for the rest of her life.
“It’s a struggle every single day for her,” Kelly said. “She can’t drive a car, her vision is an issue, as well as her arm.”
Most important to Giffords is her “ability to communicate.”
“That’s what she works on now,” Kelly said.
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