Three killed in Planned Parenthood shooting; Suspect in police custody
Nov 27, 2015, 12:23 PM | Updated: Nov 28, 2015, 8:09 am
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Police in Colorado Springs said the suspect in the Planned Parenthood shooting has surrendered and is currently in police custody.
One University of Colorado police officer, 44-year-old Garrett Swasey, and two civilians have been confirmed to be killed in the shooting. Nine people were taken to local hospitals with injuries, including five officers, according to police. All individuals are in good condition.
A law enforcement official said the gunman has been identified as Robert Lewis Dear.
The official, who has direct knowledge of the case, said the shooter is from North Carolina. No other details were immediately available. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak about the ongoing investigation.
The Colorado Attorney General tweeted that there has been a “tragic loss of life” in relation to the shootings as of Friday night.
My thoughts & prayers are with the families of victims on today’s standoff in Colorado Springs. Tragic loss of life in #PPShooting. #CoAG
— CO Attorney General (@COAttnyGeneral) November 28, 2015
“This is not normal. We can’t let it become normal,” President Barack Obama said in a statement. “If we truly care about this — if we’re going to offer up our thoughts and prayers again, for God knows how many times, with a truly clean conscience — then we have to do something about the easy accessibility of weapons of war on our streets to people who have no business wielding them. Period. Enough is enough.”
Police said the gunman opened fire before noon on Friday. Three officers were said to be injured in the first exchange of gunfire with the shooter. A fourth officer was wounded inside a Planned Parenthood building in a later exchange of gunfire with a shooter.
Active shooter situation still in progress. @CSPD has closed Centennial Blvd between Fillmore & Garden of Gods Rd Avoid the area #COSprings — COSpringsMayor (@COSpringsMayor) November 27, 2015
Asked if the shooter had taken hostages, Buckley told reporters: “There is that possibility. There are a lot of possibilities with this scenario.”
The incident comes two days after the organization began a campaign advocating for the elimination of violence against women.
Today is the Int’ Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women: Join the movement & participate in the #16Days of Activism. #IDEVAW
— PP Global (@ppglobe) November 25, 2015
The Planned Parenthood is located on Centennial Boulevard near an intersection with Fillmore Street. It is in a building next to a building that houses several medical offices. A strip mall with a King Soopers grocery store was located less than a half-mile away and police shut down the road they are located on.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.