Shooting in Colorado Springs near Planned Parenthood

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, November 30, 1999

COLORADO SPRINGS -At least four police officers have been shot and multiple civilians have been injured in an ongoing active shooter situation at a Colorado Springs branch of Planned Parenthood on Friday afternoon.

“This is still a very active situation,” Colorado Springs Police Lt. Catherine Buckley said.

By 2:45 p.m., five people injured in the incident had been transported to Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs, according to a hospital spokeswoman. The spokeswoman did not know the patients’ condition or whether they were police officers or civilians.

Three more victims were taken to Memorial Hospital, according to a spokesman there.

A SWAT truck was seen evacuating people from the clinic. In one run, first responders unloaded an apparently injured person onto a gurney. In another run, people wrapped in blankets and others wearing hospital scrubs climbed out of the truck and into waiting patrol cars, which then drove away from the scene.

At 2:15, the police department reported on Twitter that officers were “encountering gunfire” from a suspect inside the Planned Parenthood building. The gunman has not made any demands or made any statements to officers, Buckley said. She said initial reports described his weapon as a long gun, such as a rifle.

“We do not know about this person’s mentality or ideology,” Buckley said.

Buckley said the first call for service came at 11:38 a.m. and came from the Planned Parenthood address. The branch is located at 3480 Centennial Blvd., just north of West Fillmore Street.