In an emotional five-and-a-half minute interview on Fox News on Sunday morning, Roxanna Green talked about losing her daughter, Christina-Taylor Green, who died in Saturday’s shooting in Tucson.
Christina was 9.
A neighbor had taken her to meet U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords at a public event. The Arizona Daily Star has further details.
A transcript of Roxanna’s words can’t come close to capturing the emotion in her voice, and she and Fox host Gretchen Carlson were noticeably shaken during the interview.
“I just can’t even put into words,” Roxanna said.
“There is nothing I can possibly … I can’t express the devastation and hurt and how we were so robbed of our beautiful, beautiful princess. She was a beautiful girl, inside and out. She was so intelligent, and her light shines on all of us today and forever and I just have it in my heart that my angel is the arms of my mom and my grandmother and our good friend Margaret up in heaven.
“I lost my mom a year ago, so I’m just trying to be positive and strong because that’s what Christina would want.”
Carlson asked how the events played out from Roxanna’s perspective.
“I got a phone call from my friend’s husband saying that Christina and my girlfriend were in UMC hospital in Tucson, and I just assumed there was a car accident,” Roxanna said.
“I asked him what had happened, if there was a car accident, and he had no idea. So then, of course, I started getting real upset. I grabbed my son and called my husband — he wasn’t at home — and we all just rushed over there.
“We waited for a while and then the surgeon and people from the ICU unit came in and police officers and other people, and they told us the bad news. She had a bullet hole to the chest, and they tried to save her but she just couldn’t make it. It was really, really bad.”
Carlson asked if Roxanna got to see Christina at that time.
“I saw her right after that, spent a lot of time with her and said goodbye to her,” Roxanna said.
Carlson mentioned how Christina had just had her First Communion, and she asked Roxanna about holding on to faith.
“I can hold on to the nine beautiful years I had with my daughter that some people never, never experience,” Roxanna said.
“Like I said before, she was very bright and she was an amazing girl and I’m so proud of her, and I’m still proud of her because she’s going to do great things in heaven. Maybe that’s where she was needed. She’s my angel. I have my faith and my family and friends.
“A lot of people I don’t even know sent messages, and I really appreciate that. And I hope we can all learn from this tragedy, that people out there that have a problem, they just have to find a different way to deal with it.”
Christina was born on another tragic day — Sept. 11, 2001 — and Roxanna explained how that had special meaning to her daughter in terms of wanting to get involved in her community and government.
“It was very, very special to her. She would tell people when she was younger that, ‘I was born on a holiday.’ Then we would have to correct her and talk to her about it. As she got older, we would at least try to see the positive in it — like it’s a holiday because it’s a day of hope and everyone coming together and helping each other … and coming together to do something good from here on out.”
Carlson asked Roxanna what she wanted to see happen to the suspect, Jared Lee Loughner.
“I don’t really want to say on air what I want to happen to the suspect. It’s beyond words,” she said.
“I just want for my little girl, and for everybody involved, that I want there to be change. I want there to be awareness that these sick people are out there, and this has to stop right now.
“I’m really sorry and devastated about my little girl and all the people who were killed and hurt in this terrible tragedy, but I just hope we can learn from this and gain awareness and make change so that it never happens again.”
Christina’s father, John Green, is a scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers. She was the only
girl on her Canyon del Oro Little League baseball team, “The Pirates,” according to the Arizona Daily Star.
She was the granddaughter of former major league pitcher and manager Dallas Green.
Dodgers owner Frank McCourt issued a statement on Saturday night:
“We lost a member of the Dodgers family today. The entire Dodgers organization is mourning the death of John’s daughter Christina and will do everything we can to support John, his wife Roxana and their son Dallas in the aftermath of this senseless tragedy. I spoke with John earlier today and expressed condolences on behalf of the entire Dodgers organization.”