Matthew 19:18 ESV “And Jesus said, “You shall not murder…”
The man who allegedly killed three people and wounded at least nine others as he opened fire at a Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs will reportedly be charged with first-degree murder.
Robert Lewis Dear learned of the charge during his first courtroom appearance, according to the Washington Post. Appearing via video, he was told he could face the death penalty if convicted.
Formal charges will be filed next week, according to multiple media reports.
Dear, 57, is accused of killing a police officer who responded to the situation and two civilians who accompanied friends to the clinic on Friday, according to a report in The Denver Post. There were multiple shots fired during what developed into a five-hour standoff with police.
Dear’s motive has not been publicly announced.
The clinic provides abortions, but also services like birth control counseling and STD testing, the Washington Post reported. NBC News reported Dear made the comment “no more baby parts” in a statement to police, but noted he also made comments about President Barack Obama and it wasn’t particularly clear what factor, if any, those statements played in the alleged attack.
Planned Parenthood has been a frequent target of anti-abortion protests. The organization has beefed up security in recent months, ABC News reported, and believes its clinic was targeted.
The Center for Medical Progress, an anti-abortion group that has been one of Planned Parenthood’s most vocal critics, condemned what it called a “barbaric killing spree in Colorado Springs by a violent madman” in a posting on its website Sunday.