The Hill News

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head in January, is walking, talking and beginning to process the tragedy, her husband said Thursday.

At a press conference, Navy Capt. Mark Kelly, a NASA astronaut, said Giffords (D-Ariz.) continues to recover and walk and talk "more every day." She is also starting to understand what happened in the shooting, Kelly said.

"She's starting to walk, talk more â€" more every day â€" and she's starting to process some of the tragedy that we all went through in January," Kelly said. "She's going through that as we speak."

The shooting killed six and wounded 13, including Giffords. Jared Lee Loughner has been accused of opening fire at a grocery store in Tucson, Ariz., in January during a constituent event Giffords was holding.

Giffords has been making dramatic progress since the shooting, regaining control of her body and the ability to communicate. Doctors have praised her recovery as som! ething akin to a miracle.

Kelly is set to fly the Space Shuttle Endeavor in April. He suspended his training immediately after the shooting to be with Giffords during her recovery. He resumed training for the mission in February.