3 killed, including 1 police officer during, Colorado Springs shooting,

3 deaths confirmed in Colorado shooting



Two civilians and one police officer were killed Friday after a five-hour standoff at a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood building that ended with the gunman's surrender. The University of Colorado in Colorado Springs police department identified the officer killed as 44-year-old Garrett Swasey, a six-year veteran of the force.Nine other people, including five police officers, were shot and are in good condition, police said. Lt. Catherine Buckley of the Colorado Springs Police Department said the gunman, described as wearing a long coat and armed with a rifle, gave up after officers inside the building shouted at him. He previously had been firing at police who entered the facility.Buckley also said the unidentified man had brought "items" with him inside the building and left some outside, meaning officers had to make sure they were not "any kind of devices." Police were still trying to determine if there were any more injured or fatalities, she said. The gunman apparently began his deadly spree at the Planned Parenthood building, although it was not clear if his motive was related to the organization. "We don't have any information on this individual's mentality, or his ideas or ideology," Buckley said. After a brief lull, he began shooting again at police, who had gotten inside the building. Buckley said there was no information indicating the gunman himself had been shot. Multiple police vehicles and ambulances were parked outside the building in a snowstorm and 17 degree temperatures. Police closed Centennial Boulevard in both directions and customers were locked down at a King Soopers grocery store and several nearby shops in the strip mall area. Buckley said officers were working through the process of releasing them. Denise Speller, manager at a nearby haircut salon, told the Gazette she heard 10 to 20 gunshots in the span of less than five minutes. She said she saw a police cruiser and two officers outside near Chase Bank, not far from the Planned Parenthood facility. One of the officers appeared to fall to the ground and the other office knelt down to render aid, then tried to get the officer to safety behind the car, she said. Another officer told Speller to seek shelter inside the building. “We’re still pretty freaked out,” Speller said by phone. “We can’t stop shaking. For now we’re stuck back here not knowing.”