COLORADO SPRINGS — It’s one of the darkest days in Colorado Springs history and four years after the shooting, victims and their families are still looking for justice.
Just after 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 27, 2015 the confessed gunman, Robert Dear, walked into the Planned Parenthood clinic and opened fire.
Three people were killed and nine injured in the standoff at the Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado Springs. The standoff lasted for five hours before a SWAT vehicle was sent into the lobby, forcing the attacker to surrender. UCCS Police officer Garrett Swasey, Ke-Arre Stewart, and Jennifer Markovsky were killed in the attack.
Today, we remember Garrett Swasey, who was killed in the line of duty 4 yrs ago at an active shooter situation. Garrett represented the best of us, and we continue to think about him and his family on this anniversary.#UCCSPolice #LODD #UCCS pic.twitter.com/zi7bP9wrNl
— UCCS Police (@UCCSPolice) November 27, 2019
Dear is charged with 179 counts, including murder and attempted murder. Police said Dear told investigators he attacked the clinic because of his anti-abortion views.
Dear has been ruled incompetent to stand trial during a hearing in early November. His next review is scheduled for January, as part of the protocol to review his mental state every 90 days.
In fall 2018, the court heard from two psychologists who testified Dear has a delusion disorder. They said it keeps him from trusting almost anyone. An court has ruled that staff can administer antipsychotic medicine to Dear. The court ruled that “the forced administration of antipsychotic medications to Dear is not an unconstitutional deprivation of his liberty.”
The court’s ruling upheld a district court’s decision which said the medications that Dear had refused were “medically appropriate” and involuntary medication was “necessary to further the government interests.”
The Colorado Supreme Court has refused to hear the case.
