Rating:

1.0 (1 vote)

TUCSON - Another victim of Saturday's shooting is now out of the hospital. Ron Barber, a member of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' staff, was released Friday morning. Barber was shot twice on Saturday.

"Our dad asked us to read a statement on his behalf, as he is being discharged today," Barber's daughter Jenny Douglas said, reading a statement aloud at a press conference Friday morning at University Medical Center.

Through his daughter's voice, Barber thanked the staff at UMC. He also thanked the woman who gave him first-aid after he was shot.

"I don't believe I would have made it to the emergency room had it not been for the aid rendered to me on the scene by Anna Ballis, who applied pressure to one of my bullet wounds and helped stopped the bleeding," Douglas said, reading Barber's statement.

On Thursday, Barber came outside in his wheelchair to see the man-made memorial growing on the UMC lawn. On Friday, he thanked the people of Tucson for their tributes.

"My healing process is well underway and so is the healing of this wonderful community we call home," Douglas said, reading Barber's statement.

Barber also asked the community to continue praying for the other victims, including Congresswoman Giffords. Those prayers were seemingly answered as her doctors gave more good news.

"Her eyes that we described being open, that kind of occurrence is more frequent at this time, and we can even think that she is beginning to carry out more complex sequences of events," said Dr. Michael Lemole, UMC Chief of Neurosurgery.

Congresswoman Giffords' doctors say she is making significant strides with each passing day.

"We couldn't have hopes for any better improvements than we're seeing now given the severity of her injury initially," Lemole said.

Giffords' progress remains in critical condition. There are three other victims from Saturday's shooting at UMC. They are listed in good condition.