Arizona Republic (Jan 10, 2026) by Sarah Lapidus

Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords spoke to a group of hikers and community members in front of an image of a smiling, bearded young man who was killed 15 years ago in a mass shooting that almost took Giffords’ life.

The man, Gabe Zimmerman, was one of the six people killed when a lone gunman opened fire at a group waiting to speak to Giffords. She was one of 13 people injured that day. In memory of Zimmerman, a permanent memorial was erected at the start of a trail called the Gabe Zimmerman Davidson Canyon Trailhead.

Giffords and her husband, U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, spoke to the hiking group on Jan. 10, two days after the 15th anniversary of the shooting. Zimmerman had worked as Giffords’ outreach and constituent services director.

“I just love Gabe, and Gabe embodied everything that was right and good about public service,” Kelly said, noting that Giffords thought of Zimmerman as a younger brother. “Gabe gave his life in service of our country, and he’ll always be remembered for that.”

‘Our lives changed so quickly’

The shooting rampage began at 10:10 a.m. on Jan. 8, 2011, when a gunman opened fire on a group of people waiting to speak to Giffords at a “Congress on Your Corner” event she organized to hear from constituents.

The gunman, Jared Loughner, held a grudge against Giffords, whom he had met two years earlier, according to former U.S. Rep. Ron Barber, who also survived the shooting. Barber said the man didn’t like the answer Giffords had given him. Survivors recalled him aiming for people’s heads.

He was stopped by people at the event who tackled him to the ground and prevented him from reloading his gun.

The gunman was later diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. He was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for the massacre.

Since she was shot, Giffords said she has worked hard to heal and relearn how to walk and talk.

“Our lives changed so quickly. Mine did when I was shot. But I never gave up hope,” Giffords said.

Her healing has been long and difficult. Despite setbacks, she said she keeps moving forward, focusing on the small joys — playing the French horn, riding her bike, going to the gym, and laughing with friends.

She and her husband also started an advocacy organization called Giffords, which aims to prevent gun violence.

Giffords and Kelly addressed a group of hikers, along with Zimmerman’s family and friends, ahead of an annual memorial hike organized by Beyond, a nonprofit founded by Zimmerman’s father, Ross Zimmerman, in his son’s memory.

Ross Zimmerman said the trailhead named after his son is in a “remarkable” riparian area where the Sonoran Desert and the Chiricahua desert meet. It is also a wildlife corridor between the mountains and near remnants of the original Southern Pacific Railroad that used to go through the area.

“Gee, could there be a better place where everything meets to name in Gabe’s honor?” Zimmerman said.

Gabe was his best friend, Ross Zimmerman said. And following a challenging year after the death of his son, he knew he had to continue moving forward in his life somehow.

“If there was something I could do to change it, I would, but you can’t change the past. All you can do is think about your relationship to the past and the future and move forward in ways that you think are worthwhile, that Gabe maybe would think is worthwhile, which is why we started Beyond.”

 

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