Giffords returns to site of shooting for first time

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) returned the Tucson site where she was shot nearly one year ago for the first time Saturday.

Giffords visited the Safeway parking lot where she and eighteen other people were shot on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the event, according to her husband.

“Gabby just visited the Safeway for the 1st time since 1/8/11. It’s been a tough year, but we’re lucky to have so many people standing w/us,” tweeted Mark Kelly, her astronaut husband.

{mosads}The visit marked the first time the congresswoman had returned to the infamous site since she was shot in the head by a lone gunman who went on a rampage in the grocery store parking lot that left six people dead.

Giffords and Kelly also visited the doctors and nurses that helped treat Giffords at the University of Arizona Medical Center.

The visit marked just the fourth time Giffords has returned to her home city of Tucson, as she has spent much of the year rehabilitating in Houston.

The couple also visited a trail outside Tucson that had been named after a Giffords staffer that was killed in the shooting, Gabe Zimmerman.

Jared Lee Loughner, the 24-year old charged with the shooting, remains in custody as he faces dozens of charges. However, his court proceedings have advanced slowly, as a judge initially determined him mentally incompetent and unable to stand trial.