Officer Killed In The Planned Parenthood Shooting Remembered As Kind And Courageous

A police officer and two civilians were killed when a gunman stormed a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood clinic Friday.

David Zalubowski / AP

Nine others were injured with gunshot wounds, including five officers. The suspect has been named by police officers as Robert L Dear, 57. He is in custody.

So far, only the police officer killed in the line of duty has been named.

BuzzFeed News will update this post with information on the civilian victims as more information becomes available.

Garrett Swasey, 44, Colorado Springs

University of Colorado Colorado Springs / Via pressreleases.uccs.edu

Officer Swasey was a six-year veteran of the University of Colorado Colorado Springs' police department.

In a statement, university chancellor Pam Shockley Zalabak said: "It is with great sadness that I share that the tragic events today at the offices of Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs have touched the campus of the University of Colorado Colorado Springs."

University of Colorado President Bruce Benson also released a statement mourning Swasey.

Hope Chapel

"The CU community mourns the tragic loss of Officer Garrett Swasey of UCCS. Our thoughts, prayers are with Rachel, their children and family," Benson said.

Swasey is survived by his wife, Rachel; a son, Elijah; and a daughter, Faith.

According to the Colorado Springs Gazette, Swasey grew up in Massachusetts and was a champion ice-skater during the 1990s. He was also an elder in northeast Colorado Springs church Hope Chapel.

According to the church website, he helped oversee the church's care groups in addition to "sharing his teaching gift as part of the teaching team and sharing his guitar skills on the worship team."

A co-pastor at the church, Scott Dontanville, told the New York Times that Swasey would "disagree with the abortion industry...I don’t think that was on his mind. He was there to save lives. That’s the kind of guy he is.”

A memorial fund has been set up for his family by friends and a public vigils were scheduled to be held.

“He was kind,” his mother told the Washington Post in a phone interview. “He wasn’t arrogant or selfish, and I wish people could hear more about that, about how caring the police really are.”

Early on Saturday morning fellow police officers and other first responders held a procession and escorted the body of Officer Swasey from the crime scene.

President Obama also praised the slain officer's valor in a statement on Saturday. “May God bless Officer Garrett Swasey and the Americans he tried to save — and may He grant the rest of us the courage to do the same thing," Obama said.

This post will be updated as the victims of the shooting are identified.

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