| Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood shooting | |
|---|---|
  Colorado Springs  Colorado Springs | |
| Location | Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 38°52′51″N 104°50′56″W / 38.8807°N 104.8489°W |
| Date | November 27, 2015 c. 11:38 a.m. – 4:52 p.m. (MST) |
Attack type | Mass shooting, shootout, domestic terrorism, anti-abortion violence |
| Weapon | SKS rifle |
| Deaths | 3 |
| Injured | 9 |
| Perpetrator | Robert Lewis Dear Jr. |
| Motive | Anti-abortion violence |
On November 27, 2015, a mass shooting occurred in a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, Colorado, resulting in the deaths of three people and injuries to nine.[1][2] A police officer and two civilians were killed; five police officers and four civilians were injured.[3][4] After a standoff that lasted five hours,[1][5] police SWAT teams crashed armored vehicles into the lobby and the attacker surrendered.[6]
The attacker, Robert Lewis Dear Jr., was arrested, charged in state court with first-degree murder, and ordered held without bond. At court appearances, Dear repeatedly interrupted proceedings, made statements affirming his guilt (although he did not enter a formal plea), and expressed anti-abortion and anti-Planned Parenthood views, calling himself "a warrior for the babies." He also asserted his desire to act as his own attorney in the criminal case against him. Subsequent mental competency evaluations ordered by the state court determined Dear to be delusional. The judge presiding over the state case ruled in May 2016 that Dear was incompetent to stand trial and ordered him indefinitely confined to a Colorado state mental hospital, where he has remained ever since. In 2018, the court ruled that Dear remains incompetent to stand trial. In December 2019, separate federal charges were brought against Dear.
The incident drew comments from the anti-abortion and abortion-rights movements, as well as political leaders. This was the second of two shootings in Colorado Springs in less than a month; the first occurred 28 days earlier.
- ^ a b Turkewitz, Julie; Healy, Jack (November 27, 2015). "3 Are Dead in Colorado Springs Shootout at Planned Parenthood Center". The New York Times. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
NYTimes.Chaoswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Death of UCCS police officer in Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood shooting confirmed". Colorado Springs Gazette. November 28, 2015. Archived from the original on November 29, 2015. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
- ^ Shoichet, Catherine E.; Stapleton, AnneClaire; Botelho, Greg (November 27, 2015). "Colorado Planned Parenthood shooting: 3 dead, suspect captured (updated)". CNN. Archived from the original on November 29, 2015. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
- ^ Paul, Jesse; Steffen, Jordan; Ingold, John (November 27, 2015). "Planned Parenthood shooting: 3 killed, including 1 police officer in Colorado Springs". The Denver Post. Archived from the original on November 27, 2015. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
- ^ Hughes, Trevor. "Accused Planned Parenthood gunman says he's guilty". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 10, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.