Colorado Planned Parenthood shooter Robert Dear dies in federal custody

Robert Dear, who killed three people and wounded nine others in a shooting rampage at a Colorado Planned Parenthood 10 years ago, died in federal custody over the weekend, officials announced.

The Bureau of Prisons announced the news on Tuesday, confirming Dear died of natural causes on Saturday at a medical facility for federal inmates in Springfield, Mo. He was 67.

No other details surrounding Dear’s death have been provided.

On Nov. 27, 2015, authorities said Dear, armed with several guns and 500 rounds of ammunition, opened fire in the parking lot of a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Colorado Springs, striking several people before shooting his way through the door and barricading himself inside the building.

He was eventually taken into custody after a five-hour standoff with law enforcement officers, during which he fired off at least 200 rounds, police said at the time.

Jennifer Markovsky, a 36-year-old mother of two, and Ke’Arre Stewart, a 29-year-old Army veteran, were killed in the gunfire. They’d both been accompanying friends to the clinic before the shooting started. Garrett Swasey, a police officer with the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs, who rushed to the scene after hearing reports of an active shooter, was also fatally struck in the gunfire.

After his surrender, Dear faced 179 felony charges, including multiple counts of murder and attempted murder. He was indicted on 68 counts in federal court, but was repeatedly found incompetent to stand trial, delaying his prosecution.

During a December 2015 hearing full of outbursts from Dear, the gunman claimed he was “a warrior for the babies” and admitted guilt, telling officials that there was no need for a trial.

With News Wire Services