Mayor Bob Walkup said the way Tucson responded to the Jan. 8 shootings showed Tucson at its best.
"Recently Tucson was tested. The tragedy of Jan. 8 shocked and saddened us all," Walkup said Tuesday, in what will be his last State of City speech because he will not seek a fourth term. "But through our words and our works, the world has seen who we really are."
He praised the first responders, the trauma center doctors and employees who performed "modern miracles" and how the community came together with candlelight vigils, memorials, events and funds to support the victims.
He said the nation and the world saw the best of Tucson in the wake of the shootings, which killed six and injured 13, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
"They saw families grieve and neighbors embrace them. They saw Gabby's strength and Mark's conviction," Walkup said of Giffords' husband, Mark Kelly. "They saw new heroes emerge at the scene of unspeakable tragedy. Indeed, they saw Tucson. One troubled man at his worst and one million of us at our best."
Contact reporter Rob O'Dell at 573-4346 or rodell@azstarnet.com
