Gwyneth Paltrow, Sophia Bush Related To Arizona Shooting Victims

The nation is in shock from the tragic shooting spree that took the lives of six people in Arizona on Saturday after a gunman attacked U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords outside a supermarket, shooting the Democratic House member in the head.

Giffords remains in critical condition after the assault by troubled 22-year-old Jared L. Loughner, who is in police custody and has been charged with five federal counts, including the attempted assassination of a member of Congress. In total, 20 people were injured during the shooting spree and while Giffords' wounds are considered extremely serious, her doctors have expressed reserved optimism that she may survive.

Some of the victims of the violence have an unexpected connection to the entertainment world. "Entertainment Tonight" reported that Giffords, 40, is the cousin of actress Gwyneth Paltrow. A representative for Paltrow released a statement about the incident, in which the star said, "Although I have never had the pleasure of meeting congresswoman Giffords, my thoughts and prayers are with her and her family as well as the other victims of this horrible act of senseless violence."

Actress Sophia Bush was also related to one of the victims, 9-year-old Christina Green, who was the second cousin of the "One Tree Hill" star. Green, who was born on September 11, 2001, and who had developed an interest in politics, was killed by the gunman. The actress posted a series of tweets on Sunday decrying the violence that took her cousin's life.

"There are no words to explain what my cousin's family is going through in Arizona," she wrote. "How can this be? Violence is never the answer." Bush also encouraged anyone who knows somebody struggling with mental illness to lend a hand.

"If you know anyone who is struggling, please reach out to them," she added. "No one should feel so alone that they resort to senseless violence."

Green, who appeared in a book called "50 Faces of Hope" that profiled children born on the day of the September 11 attacks, had recently joined the student council at her grade school and attended the event for Giffords because of her budding interest in politics.

"We got robbed, she got robbed of a beautiful life she could have had," mother Roxanna Green told CNN. President Obama has called for a national moment of silence on Monday at 11 a.m. in honor of the victims in the shooting.