9-year-old Christina Green killed in Tucson shooting

TUCSON, AZ - The family of a 9-year-old girl shot and killed in Tucson Saturday says they will remember her as a smart, strong girl ready to take on the world and become the first woman to play major league baseball.

Baseball was apparently in Christina Taylor Green's blood. Christina is the granddaughter of former manager Dallas Green, The Philadelphia Phillies said Sunday.

"The Phillies organization expresses our heartfelt condolences to Dallas and Sylvia and the entire Green family on the senseless, tragic loss of Christina's life," team president David Montgomery said. "She was a talented young girl with a bright promising future. Her untimely death weighs heavily on our hearts. Our thoughts and prayers are with all the families affected by yesterday's horrific shooting."

The Pima County Sheriff's Office says Christina died in the attack that wounded Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 13 others in front of a Safeway grocery store. Christina reportedly went to the public meet-and-greet event excited to meet Giffords.

Dallas Green is a former pitcher and manager in the Major Leagues. He's an executive adviser for the Phillies, and also managed the New York Yankees in 1989 and the New York Mets from 1993 to 1996.

Christina was the only girl on her Canyon del Oro Little League baseball team and played second base. John Green, who is a scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers, said his daughter wanted to be the first woman to play major league baseball.

"We lost a member of the Dodgers family today," Dodgers Owner Frank McCourt said Sunday.

"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," he said. "I spoke with John earlier today and expressed condolences on behalf of the entire Dodgers organization."

Christina was born on 9/11 and featured in the book "9/11: Faces of Hope." She reportedly attended Mesa Verde Elementary School.

"She was a good speaker. I could have easily seen her as a politician," her father, John Green told the Arizona Daily Star.

The father of a classmate says she studied ballet and played baseball and was just elected to her third grade student council.

"Outgoing, intelligent girl. She's on student council, usually kids on the student council have some good things going for them," said Jason Matsuzawa.

A neighbor reportedly brought Christina to Saturday's event because of her interest in government.

John Green remembers making his daughter an omelet with bacon and cheese for breakfast Saturday morning and kissing her goodbye
as the neighbor took her to the event to meet Giffords.

Hours later, John Green was at University Medical Center with his wife and son, with a doctor telling them the girl he called "Princess" was dead from a gunshot wound to the chest.

The unidentified neighbor was shot four times but survived and is recovering from surgery.

"She was all about helping people and being involved. It's so tragic," Christina's mother, Roxanne Green told the Star. "She went to learn ... and then someone with so much hatred in their heart took the lives of innocent people."