Survivors, relatives of those who were killed as well as board members of Tucsonโ€™s January 8th Memorial Foundation attended the January 8th Remembrance and Bell Ringing 2022 ceremony. At 10:10 a.m. โ€“ the moment of the 2011 shooting โ€“a bell was rung for each of those who were killed and those who were shot and survived. The anniversary observance took place at Historic Pima County Courthouse, next to the memorial.

On Jan. 8, 2011, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was meeting with her constituents at a 'Congress On Your Corner' event at North Oracle and West Ina roads. A gunman shot 19 people, including Giffords. Six died and 13 were wounded. Giffords, who lives in Tucson, resigned in 2012 to focus on her recovery. Speakers at the Saturday event included Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, Acting Pima County Administrator Jan Lesher and Ron Barber, who was Giffordsโ€™ district director and among those wounded. Barber later was elected to succeed Giffords in Congress and is president of Tucsonโ€™s January 8th Memorial Foundation, which worked with the community to develop the memorial and raise funds for its design and construction. Pima County managed construction of the memorial, which officially opened and was dedicated on Jan. 8, 2021 โ€“ the 10th anniversary of the tragedy. The memorial tells the story of the tragedy and how Tucsonans responded and also reminds future generations how our community came together at an important moment in history and how we all can continue to build a better democracy through active participation and civic discourse.

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