Woman Who Took Christina Taylor Green To Giffords Event: "I'm So Sorry I Couldn't Bring Her Home"

In her first interview since the shooting in Tucson, Suzi Hileman, who took three bullets, describes how she tried to save her young friend Christina Taylor Green’s life. To say it is a wrenching interview is an understatement.

Hileman, a family friend, escorted the 9-year-old to the “Congress on Your Corner” event, and says when they were next in line she leaned down and told her she could be the next Gabrielle Giffords. Moments later the shooting started. Hileman tried to shield Christina and was shot in the right thigh, abdomen and chest. She describes what happened next in this preview of tonight’s NBC Nightly News:

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Hileman told USA Today says she knows what happened wasn’t her fault, but she’s still sorry she couldn’t save Christina. She adds, “I lost a friend. Christina and I hung out. I miss her.”

Her recovery is going well because she’s very physically fit, but she’ll still need to use a wheelchair and a walker for the next four months. She says that when she recovers, she wants to use her to new public voice to encourage physical fitness and intergenerational mentoring. She also plans to continue talking about what happened on her blog “because it helps.” She recently wrote, “I know that it is possible to watch the light go out of another person’s eyes. I do not know if it is possible to live with that knowledge. I do know that I will try.”

Arizona Shooting Victim Sorry She Could Not Save Girl [USA Today]