Three people, including a police officer, are dead and 12 have been reported injured after a shooting at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs on Friday, November 27.
The woman who died was identified as Jennifer Markovsky, a Hawaii-born resident of Colorado Springs. Markovsky is reportedly survived by a husband and two young children. She was the first victim.
Markovsky’s father, John Ah-King, wrote on Facebook: “To my daughter Jennifer I’m going to miss so much, I lost you in a senseless shooting in Colorado Springs, Planned Parenthood.
The second man who was killed was named as Ke’Arre Stewart - a Texas native, served in Iraq and has two young children, friend Tony Fischer told The Huffington Post Sunday.
"He was at my house just Thursday for Thanksgiving," Fischer said. "We were drinking beers, smoking pot.
The police officer was the third victim killed in the shooting has been identified as 44-year-old Garrett Swasey, a six-year veteran of the campus police force at the Colorado Springs branch of the University of Colorado.
Swasey, who was married with two young children, was also an elder and co-pastor at a local church, and before becoming a cop had been a competitive figure skater.
The incident began around 11:30 a.m, Friday, November 27 local time when a gunman, reportedly armed with an AK-47–style assault rifle, opened fire at the outside of the clinic.
Robert Lewis Dear, based on a public records search, appears to have lived in Colorado for only about a year. In October 2014, Dear purchased property in Hartsel.
Police said Dear would appear in court on Monday, November 30 at 1.30pm local time. A statement issued on Sunday said: “The warrants with regard to this investigation have been sealed."
On Saturday evening, November 28, hundreds gathered at the university's Gallogy Events Center for a candlelight vigil in honor of Swasey, remembering him as a husband and a dad who dedicated much of his life to helping others.
