Two civilians and one police officer died after a gunman opened fire at a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood, leading to a five-hour standoff with law enforcement.
Justin Edmonds/Getty Images
Nine other people, four civilians and five police officers, were taken to local hospitals with gunshot wounds and are in good condition, according to police.
The gunman is in police custody after surrendering just before 5 pm local time, police spokesperson Lt. Catherine Buckley told local reporters. The suspect has been identified as Robert Lewis Dear.
It is with great sorrow that we must report that one of the officers shot today the active shooter incident in Colorado Springs has died
— Colorado FOP (@ColoradoFOP) November 28, 2015 The University of Colorado police officer who was killed, Garrett Swasey, 44, was described by family and friends as a loving father of two young children and a devoted co-pastor at his local church.
Shooting began with a police call from Planned Parenthood
The incident began at the Planned Parenthood Colorado Springs Westside Health Center just before noon Mountain Time. The gunman exchanged fire with police officers for hours before he was apprehended, and police worked to evacuate people still inside.
Police described the suspect as a stocky, bearded white male wearing a trench coat. He was reportedly armed with a “long gun.” Reporters have tweeted photographs of the suspect allegedly being taken into custody.
Here's a @Reuters photo of the Colorado Springs suspect in police custody https://t.co/eHDnkbEb6O pic.twitter.com/b047ThUcej
— J. Freedom du Lac (@jfdulac) November 28, 2015
The call to the police originated from the address of the Planned Parenthood clinic, although the motives of the shooter are still unclear.
“We’re not sure what the connection is to Planned Parenthood, but that was the initial address we were given for the service,” Buckley said.
The FBI warned of threats to reproductive health facilities this past September, in the wake of graphic sting videos that purported to show Planned Parenthood selling fetal body parts for profit. There have been at least four cases of arson perpetrated against Planned Parenthood clinics this year alone.
Planned Parenthood released the following statement on the shooting:
Full text of @PPRockyMountain statement: pic.twitter.com/VqktduqpW2
— Trevor Hughes (@TrevorHughes) November 27, 2015
Colorado Springs is about one hour south of Denver. CBS News is running a live stream of the coverage, which you can watch here.
