Three dead after gunman storms Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado

Two civilians and one police officer died, Colorado Springs police chief Peter Carey told reporters about an hour after the suspect had been arrested.

Another nine people were injured – five police officers and four civilians – but Carey said they were good condition at area hospitals.

The dead policeman was named as 44-year-old Garrett Swasey, a campus officer for the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs who responded with city police to the first reports of shots fired.

Some staff escaped harm by following security protocol and hiding in specially designed “safe areas” at the building, reports said.

A Reuters photographer at the scene saw a man in a white T-shirt, with his hands cuffed behind his back, being placed in an unmarked squad car. Authorities said they did not know the suspect’s identity but believed he acted alone.

The shooting unfolded on “an ordinary working day” at the clinic, which provides abortion services and family planning.

Gunshots were first reported at the Planned Parenthood clinic at 11.38am local time, Buckley said. The suspect was believed to be carrying a “long gun” – a term that usually refers to a rifle or shotgun – and also had with him bags and other “items”, possibly including propane tanks, Buckley said.

By 4pm local time, police had begun to evacuate many of the people who were still inside the building. Officers were then able to enter the building and convince the gunman to surrender.

Colorado Springs mayor John Suthers, who commended police for their handling of the “tragedy”, said authorities were able to help guide the movements of officers through the building by watching live feeds from surveillance cameras mounted inside.

A city police spokeswoman, Lieutenant Catherine Buckley, said it took officers a number of hours to establish communication with the suspect before he gave himself up.

“We did get officers inside the building. They were able to shout to the suspect and make communication with him and at that point they were able to get him to surrender and he was taken into custody,” Buckley said.

After his arrest, explosives teams were at the scene, police said, to check for possible booby traps.

The gunfire at the clinic sent people inside racing for cover. Jennifer Motolinia hid behind a table inside the clinic and called her brother, Joan, who said he heard multiple gunshots in the background.

“She was telling me to take care of her babies because she could get killed,” Joan Motolinia said of his sister, the mother of three.

He rushed to the clinic but was frustrated because a police barricade kept him from getting close. “People were shooting for sure. I heard someone shooting. There was a lot of gunfire. She was calm, she was trying to hide from those people,” he said.

Source: theguardian.com