Christina-Taylor Green (Brigitte Stelzer)
TUCSON, Ariz. — Thousands of tearful mourners gathered yesterday for the funeral of the youngest victim of the Arizona massacre — a girl who was born on 9/11.
Family members paused for a moment of silence under an American flag recovered from Ground Zero.
“Christina Taylor Green, I can’t tell you how much we all miss you,” the slain 9-year-old’s dad, John Green, said at her small brown casket, which he and other relatives had escorted into St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church.
“I know you’d be very proud to have the 9/11 flag here today,” Green said. “Christina, this is a terrible tragedy for all of us, and you know that too well, because you were born on 9/11, and I think you’ve affected the whole country.”
Five others, including federal Judge John Roll, were killed and 14, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, were wounded in Saturday’s shooting. Giffords’ astronaut husband, Mark Kelly, was among yesterday’s mourners.
During President Obama’s speech at a memorial Wednesday night, he spoke at length about Christina and reminded the audience that the third-grader’s neighbor had brought her to meet Giffords because of her bud ding interest in de mocracy.
The neighbor, Susan Hileman, who considered Christina a grand daughter, is recov ering from her gun shot wounds.
Her husband, Bill, yesterday told The Post that his wife was now talking well enough to reveal details of the shooting, which ended with her and a dying Christina clutching each other’s hands.
“Suzie said she locked eyes with the killer, and they looked dead — there was no emotion in them,” Bill Hileman said. “She saw Christina with her eyes open, staring at her. There was fear.
“They turned to run away. Then Suzie felt the first bullet hit her right thigh. She went down very hard . . . [Christina] was doing a lot of screaming before she was shot.
“They’re on the ground looking at each other, holding hands. The last thing in Suzie’s mind is this little girl’s face.”
“John [Green] called this morning to get an update on Suzie’s condition and to ask when he could visit,” Bill said, bursting into tears as he added, “on the day of his daughter’s funeral.”