'All Chaos Broke Loose,' Says Witness of Arizona Shooting

(CNN) -- It was a day and an event like so many others -- until it wasn't.

Six people were killed and 12 others wounded, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, when a gunman opened fire in front of a grocery store in Tucson, Arizona, Saturday morning, authorities said. The congresswoman had been hosting a meeting with constituents when the attack began.

"It was continuous shooting. There was no breaking between it. They walked up and, I'm assuming, just kept firing. It sounded like tons of pots and pans falling down on the ground right next to my ear it was so loud," said Jason Pekau, an employee of a business near the Safeway grocery store.

He heard about 15 to 20 gunshots.

Pekau said he was about 50 yards from where the shooting took place, and he described the parking lot immediately after the attack.

"I just saw people running, screaming towards where the shooting happened. Everyone screaming that it was Gabrielle Giffords," he said.

Giffords was shot in her head and was in critical condition Saturday afternoon following surgery, Dr. Peter Rhee of University Medical Center in Tucson told reporters. A 9-year-old girl and a federal judge were among the dead.

"I did see them take her away on a stretcher," Pekau said about the congresswoman. "She was moving from what I saw with my own eyes."

"From what I'm being told from people that had seen it, she was shot point-blank in the head by the shooter and then after that, basically, all chaos broke loose," he said.

Bullets flew through the window of the grocery store, he said.

Pekau said he saw several people being taken away by rescue workers on stretchers and watched as they were loaded into medical helicopters. At least two people were flat on the sidewalk in front of Safeway, he said. It was not immediately clear whether they were dead or waiting for assistance.

Video from the scene showed one of Giffords' banners still hanging in the storefront. Yellow tape was draped around the parking lot as police began their initial investigation.

Giffords won her third term in a closely contested race against a Tea Party-sponsored candidate and was one of three Democratic legislators who reported vandalism at their offices following the March vote on health care reform.

President Barack Obama spoke from Washington soon after the attack, calling it a national tragedy.

He underlined how simply the day began -- like any other.

"It's not surprising that today, Gabby was going what she was always does -- listening to the hopes and concerns of her neighbors," said Obama, referring to the congresswoman by her nickname. "That is the essence of what our democracy is all about."