This morning, I was at a garage sale in Tucson when I found out that Gabrielle Giffords, the congresswoman I voted for - and someone I had met several times - had been shot in the head. My heart dropped. I sat down and was glued to my phone, trying to find more details about what had happened. It turned out she and 18 others had been shot right up the street from my family home. 19 people had been shot at the grocery store I've gone to since I was a little kid, the same grocery store my boyfriend's family visits almost daily. A massacre had occurred in a quiet little plaza that I had visited only yesterday. People sought shelter from a murderer in stores I shop at. Only a few months ago, Ms. Giffords' campaign hired me to photograph an event just like the one which went so terribly wrong today. I've been trembling all day and I can't stop thinking about the innocent victims and how I, or one of my loved ones, could have easily been a victim. Reddit, our community is unspeakably affected and I saw it in the faces of everyone I encountered today. Not even the newscasters or the sheriff himself can hide their sorrow and pretend not to be shaken by this. I love Tucson and I've grown up here. But today, someone changed the city forever through a senseless and violent act. He was my age and went to my rival high school. I just can't comprehend it. Everyone keeps asking if I'm OK. Frankly, I'm heartbroken and scared. I only hope that this terrible event will bring our community closer and that it won't divide us. Above all, I hope all of the victims (including Gabby) who are fighting for their lives in local hospitals survive. I don't pray, but I have them in my thoughts. Please do the same, Reddit. Today has been, possibly, the worst day in Tucson history.

I usually don't post because I'm shy, but this.... I just had to tell someone how I feel.