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Arizona senators urge federal government to support January 8th memorial

Posted at 2:11 PM, Sep 08, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-08 17:16:41-04
WASHINGTON, D.C. (KGUN9-TV) -- On Wednesday U.S. Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake sent a letter to U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Sally Jewell urging the department to support an effort to build a permanent memorial to honor the victims of the January 8th shooting.
 
Six people died and 13 people were injured, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
 
The senators said that because of the impact the tragedy had on Tucson and the state of Arizona, they believe the request should be considered.
 
In August, Tucson's January 8th Memorial Memorial Foundation reached out to McCain and Flake asking them to work with federal agencies. 
 
Below is an excerpt of the letter from the senators:
 
"We write to bring your attention to a letter we received from our constituents regarding their efforts to establish a permanent memorial as a tribute to the victims of the January 8, 2011 shooting in Tucson, Arizona. On this day, a gunman targeted an event being hosted by Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. The attack took the lives of six innocent people, including Chief Judge John Roll, and wounded 13 individuals, including Rep. Giffords, while impacting countless others across the country. As this letter so accurately describes, the spontaneous memorials that sprang up in the wake of the tragedy, and the future permanent memorial, convey the spirit of solidarity of this community in the face of this horrific event."