Gabe Zimmerman, one of the people who died in the Jan. 8 shooting in Tucson, Ariz., was a graduate of U.C. Santa Cruz, but he was not Jewish, according to the Arizona Jewish Post of Tucson. In initial reports, it was widely reported that Zimmerman, 30, was Jewish.
Zimmerman was born and raised in Tucson, his father, Ross Zimmerman, a senior network organizer at Pima Community College, told the San Jose Mercury News. He was Giffords’ community outreach director and had organized the “Congress on Your Corner” event Jan. 8 in Tucson.
Zimmerman earned a sociology degree from U.C. Santa Cruz and graduated with honors in 2002, according to the university’s website. He was an avid runner and athlete and was engaged to be married, his father told the Mercury News. — ap