Planned Parenthood Shooter Said He Tried To Blow Up The Clinic, But Failed

Andy Cross / AP

The man accused of killing three people at a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood facility in November also tried to blow up the building where patients and staff were hiding, according to documents released on Monday.

Robert Dear was arrested on Nov. 27 after an hours-long standoff with police. He is accused of fatally shooting in a parking lot two people who had accompanied friends to the clinic. He additionally killed a University of Colorado Colorado Springs police officer who was among the first responders.

On Monday, a judge released documents relating to Dear's arrest and the first searches of his belongings. The documents confirmed earlier, unofficial reports that Dear had said he was motivated by a belief that Planned Parenthood sold baby body parts.

"As Robert Lewis Dear was being placed into a patrol car, he yelled out a statement about the killing of babies," a police affidavit attached to Dear's arrest warrant said.

in his first interview with officers after his arrest, Dear also said he was "upset with [Planned Parenthood] performing abortions and the selling of baby parts," the affidavit said. Dear told police he shot one person in the parking lot. Another victim was found inside the doorway of the clinic, and Dear said he also shot a police officer through a window.

Officer Garrett Swasey, 44; Ke'Arre Stewart, 29; and Jennifer Markovsky, 36, were killed in the attack. Each of them was the parent of two children.

Dear also told police that he had hoped the damage would be more extensive. A bomb squad responded during the standoff after propane tanks were spotted at the scene. Dear told police that he had hoped to cause an explosion by shooting out the propane tanks that he had placed outside. Though he did shoot at them, they did not explode, the affidavit said.

There were 24 people inside the clinic, who barricaded themselves inside as gunfire rang out. They were evacuated safely as police monitored Dear's location inside the building via security cameras.

Dear added he had previously vandalized the locks of a South Carolina Planned Parenthood clinic with superglue. He also told police he admired the actions of Paul Hill, who was convicted of murdering a doctor who provided abortions in 1994 as well as his bodyguard.

"His dream was that when he died and went to heaven he would be met by all the aborted fetuses at the gates of heaven and they would thank him for what he did because his actions saved lives of other unborn fetuses," the affidavit said.

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