Subscribe
Hellobeautiful Featured Video
CLOSE
Shooting Near Planned Parenthood Office In Colorado Springs

Source: RJ Sangosti / Getty

 

UPDATE: Two victims of the Planned Parenthood attack have been identified.

Ke’Arre Marcell Stewart, 29-year-old Iraq veteran, was standing outside of the facility when he was shot, but was able to warn people to flee.

A GoFundMe page has been set up for the father of two to help with funeral expenses.

Jennifer Markovsky, 35, a mother two of two, was there to support a friend.

“She was the most wonderful, kindest person you’d ever know,” said Markovsky’s father, John Ah-King, to a reporter from the Colorado Springs Gazette. “She was willing to help everybody or anybody who needed help. She was always there for everyone.”

Police officer Garret Swasey was the first victim identified. He volunteered to rush to the scene once they got the call that  it was an active shooter situation.

“When he knew that someone was in need, he wasn’t going to pause. There would just be no question,” Sarah Dontanville, a long-time family friend, told ABC affiliate KMGH-TV in Denver. “When you look at his character, he was a great man of integrity.”

Swasey, a six-year veteran of the UCCS police department, was a married father of two children.

UPDATE: 

Six hours after the standoff began, the suspected shooter, Robert L. Dear, 57, surrendered to police.

The shooting left 3 people dead, including police officer Garrett Swasey, a married father. At least 9 others were injured in the mayhem that erupted Friday morning at a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood Clinic.

According to CNN, four civilians and five police officers were hospitalized following the incident and were in “good condition” Friday night.

Witnesses at the scene revealed that the shooter began his rampage in the parking lot, reportedly opening fire with a “stone cold face.” They told CNN that the shooter was aiming at people’s heads and “just shooting up and down” at people’s cars and the entryway to the clinic.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Police have shut down Centennial Blvd between Fillmore and Garden of Gods Rd. in Colorado Springs as they try to contain a mass shooting that originated at a Planned Parenthood facility.

According to The Washington Post, at least nine people have been transported from the scene to two area hospitals. However, their condition is unknown.

The incident first began at approximately 11am on Friday, November 27th and three hours later, the scene still remains “very active”.

In regards to the likelihood of the shooter having taken hostages, Colorado Springs police spokesman, Lt. Catherine Buckley said, “There is that possibility.”

“We don’t have anything about this individual’s mentality, or his ideas or his ideology,” said Buckley. “We are trying to stabilize the situation now. We have brought all of our resources to bear in order to conserve life and take care of the community first.”

The police department has used their twitter account to detour potential Black Friday shoppers from coming to the area. The police have also prohibited any shoppers from leaving their present location. Grocery stores and other area venues have been placed on lock down.

Sydney Downey, who works at a Sally Beauty Supply across from the crime scene, told The Washington Post that police came into the store and told she, her manager and a customer to “Get back away from the windows.”

Another witness, Denise Speller, who works at a nearby salon, said she heard at least ten gunshots and she also saw a police officer get hit.

Stay tuned for the latest developments.

RELATED STORIES:

3 Dead After Gunmen Seize 170 Hostages At A Mali Hotel 

UPDATED: More Than 100 Dead In Violent Attacks Across Paris

The grand return of the Melanin Awards amplifies and honors the finest Black-owned beauty brands with honest reviews, and discusses the evolution of beauty in Hip-Hop culture.