Gabrielle Giffords shooting: 61-year-old woman emerges as hero

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph over a cup of English tea in her kitchen in Tucson, Patricia Maisch said: “I’m no hero. I’m a bit embarrassed by the attention.”

But Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik said: “This was one of the most heroic acts I’ve ever seen. She might have saved many, many lives.”

Mrs Maisch, along with a 74-year-old retired Army Colonel Bill Badger and two other men, Roger Sulzgeber and Joseph Zamudio, jumped on suspect Jared Loughner as he tried to reload his semi-automatic Glock pistol.