Civilians Killed In Planned Parenthood Attack Were An Iraq War Veteran, Mother Of 2
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4/AP) - The two civilian victims killed in the shooting at a Planned Parenthood were a man and a woman.
Three people, including a police officer, died Friday when a gunman opened fire at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs.
According to KKTV in Colorado Springs, one of the victims has been identified as Ke'Arre M. Stewart, 29, according to the man's family. Stewart's wife said he leaves behind his children and she wants justice for her loss.
Stewart's sister, Temprest Llyod, told KKTV that Stewart is an Iraq War veteran. He was outside Planned Parenthood making a phone call because he didn't have service in the building. He was shot by the gunman, ran inside and was the person who told everyone to get down, get into rooms and called 911.
Amburh Butler, who spoke on behalf of Stewart's family, says he was accompanying someone at the clinic when he was killed. She says he leaves behind two young daughters in Texas, where he grew up. Butler says the Army stationed Stewart at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs in 2013. She says he was discharged from the military last year. She says he used to write her letters from Iraq that detailed the horrors of fighting on the front lines. She last spoke to him on Thursday, when he sounded upbeat to be spending Thanksgiving with friends.
The other civilian who was killed has been identified as Jennifer Markovsky, according to the woman's family. Her father, John Ah-King, told The Denver Post that his 36-year-old daughter was a kind-hearted, lovable person with two children. He said she was accompanying a friend to the Planned Parenthood clinic when she was killed.
Garrett Swasey, a 44-year-old officer at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, was also killed.
"The family of Officer Garrett Swasey sincerely thanks everyone for their support during this very difficult time. Our loss cannot be expressed in words. While the nation now knows Garrett as a hero who gave his life for others, he was also a devoted husband of 17 years and a wonderful father to his two children," Swasey's family said in a statement.
Police say 57-year-old Robert Lewis Dear attacked the clinic. He is in custody and is expected to make his first court appearance Monday.
Colorado Springs police say they will not disclose why Dear allegedly opened fire. Police said in a statement Sunday that they are sealing the warrants related to the case against Dear. They said they are not providing information on the weapon used in Friday's shooting, a timeline of events, or a motive of the suspect. That will continue to stoke speculation about what led to the shooting.
Additional Resources
Officer Garrett Swasey Memorial Fund
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