Colorado Springs shooting suspect Robert Lewis Dear said “no more baby parts” to investigators during post-attack interviews. He entered a Planned Parenthood facility with an AK-47 style rifle. One police officer was left dead, two civilians were killed, and nine were injured.
Since the Colorado Springs shooting on Friday, determination of a motive for the shooting has been a question. Law enforcement stated it is too early to conclude on the shooter’s motivation until all the evidence is in, per CNN . It is clear, however, that the killer harbored anti-abortion and anti-government views. The state continues its investigation, while the FBI will determine if federal charges should be filed.
The attack occurred just before noon on Friday while the clinic was open and operational. Dear surrendered to the police five hours later. One of the dead is 44-year-old Garrett Swasey, a University of Colorado-Colorado Springs police officer. Five other police officers were also injured as they tried to protect clinic staff and clients.
Officer killed in Planned Parenthood shooting remembered as “man of courage” https://t.co/YOnNfb3bKU
— HuffPost Crime (@HuffPostCrime) November 28, 2015
Dear, 57, is from Hartsel, Colorado, but was previously a resident of North Carolina and is originally from South Carolina. According to public records, he was arrested in both North and South Carolina for traffic offenses as well as serious charges, per the Heavy website.
He was convicted on seat belt violations, driver’s license violations, and for operating a vehicle that wasn’t fit for driving. There was also a conviction for driving a non-registered vehicle.
Additional charges include two counts of animal cruelty in Colleton, South Carolina, in 2002, but after a bench trial, he was found not guilty. In 2002, he also faced charges of “peeping Tom” and eavesdropping in Colleton, but these charges were also dismissed.
NEW: A source told CBS News what the Planned Parenthood suspect said to cops upon his arrest https://t.co/2A8mZvJpwX pic.twitter.com/sMMLfPsuoP
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 29, 2015
The suspect moved to Hartsel, west of Colorado Springs in Park County, about a year ago, purchasing a plot of land for $6,000. He lived with a woman and two dogs in a recreational vehicle with no electricity, sewer, or running water, noted the Denver Post .
Zigmond Post, a neighbor, spoke on the debris surrounding Dear’s trailer, “It looks like white-trash living at its finest — like a bomb went off and everything was thrown in the air.”
Some neighbors described Dear as argumentative and secretive, while others said he was ordinary and easy going. Post said Dear rarely left his trailer, didn’t participate in community gatherings, and rarely smiled.
When Post first met his neighbor, he said Dear pulled out anti-Obama propaganda and began speaking out against the president.
Post said he found it strange, saying “I thought it was weird that we had just met him for five minutes and he starts with that. When he did that, I just started walking away. I don’t like people telling me what to do. That’s why I live out here, ” added the Denver Post .
Another neighbor, Paul Amori, who lived on a plot of land next to Dear’s described the Hartsel area as “a place to hide right out in the open. It’s very windy and cold all year long. People keep to themselves.”
The suspected killer also once fired a gun in his yard in Walterboro, South Carolina, in 1992. Former neighbor Mary Webb said she believes he wanted to intimidate her because of a court dispute.
In 1997, then wife Pam Ross said Dear locked her out of the house and shoved her to the ground, but she didn’t press charges. She did state that she wanted a report of abuse on record.
The Colorado Springs shooter, apparently, was deeply disturbed and targeted Planned Parenthood.
[Image via Colorado Springs Police]