Yesterday, hundreds of mourners gathered in Arizona for the funeral of 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green, one of the victims killed in last weekend's tragic shooting in Tucson. A U.S. flag recovered from Ground Zero was hung up outside the church as part of the ceremony, the first funeral for one of the six people killed during the attack by suspect Jared Lee Loughner. Green, the granddaughter of former Mets and Yankees manager Dallas Green, was born on Sept. 11, 2001, and was one of fifty 9/11 babies featured in a book called "Faces of Hope." "I know you'd be very proud to have the 9/11 flag here today. Christina, this is a terrible tragedy for all of us, and you know that too well, because you were born on 9/11, and I think you've affected the whole country," said her father, John Green.
After one of Loughner's ex-girlfriends from high school talked to reporters yesterday, painting a picture of a cheerful, "sweet, caring" guy, another ex gave her own decidedly darker take on the troubled young man. Ashley Figueroa told ABC that she remembered Loughner as a drug user with a bad temper and a grudge against the government. "He used to scare me sometimes and that's kind of the reason why I left him. He kind of makes me feel uncomfortable at times. He'd get really mad and he would clench his fists really tight and kind of almost like have a little tantrum. He'd kind of like flail his arms and walk off." Unlike many reports, she doesn't believe he is mentally ill. "I think he's faking everything. I think the outburst that he had in class -- I think he's planned everything. I think that he has been planning this for some time," said Figueroa.
In more uplifting news, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, the apparent target of the assassination attempt by Loughner, is continuing to improve. Doctors say she has made significant improvements, and they are even considering removing her breathing tube this weekend. Her eye movements in particular suggest that she is experiencing "glimmers of recognition." "That tracking of the eyes tells you a whole lot more, that she's aware of her surroundings to some extent. She's trying to engage that reality," trauma surgeon Dr. Randall Friese told CNN. Her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, said he thinks she knew President Obama came to visit her on Wednesday. "I think she did know...though, I think she was trying to figure out what he was doing there."
