COLORADO SPRINGS, Co. — The abortion giant Planned Parenthood has condemned Friday’s deadly shooting at its facility in Colorado Springs where abortionists kill and dismember children up to 18 weeks.
Gunshots were first reported at the Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood after 11:30 a.m. local time, as the suspect, who has yet to be identified, began shooting at police from the parking lot. He then entered the building and continued firing at law enforcement.
Approximately two dozen people were inside the building when the incident occurred, and police used an armored vehicle to rescue those being held inside.
Just before 5 p.m. local time, authorities persuaded the gunman to surrender. Photographs show a middle-aged man with a white beard in police custody.
Eleven people were injured in the exchange of gunfire, including four police officers. One police officer died from his wounds, as well as two civilians.
Lt. Catherine Buckley told reporters that there are a lot of questions surrounding the incident, as “[w]e do not know about this person’s mentality or ideology.” It is not known whether the man has any past ties to Planned Parenthood or if a family member had obtained an abortion at the location.
Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains also acknowledged that “[w]e don’t yet know the full circumstances and motives behind this criminal action, and we don’t yet know if Planned Parenthood was in fact the target of this attack.”
“We condemn this heinous act of violence, regardless of the motive behind it,” Planned Parenthood’s Ohio branch also said, remarking that “[n]o one deserves to be a victim of senseless violence, whether it is based on their gender [or] skin color…”
According to the Planned Parenthood website, the Colorado Springs location performs abortions up to 18 weeks. Dilation and evacuation (D&E) is used in second trimester abortions, a procedure where the child’s body is dismembered with forceps, being removed piece by piece and laid onto a tray to ensure all of the parts have been removed from the womb. Medical abortions are also offered up to nine weeks.
In its statement Friday night, while acknowledging that the motives surrounding the incident were not known, Planned Parenthood accused those who oppose the killing of unborn children of causing terror.
“We share the concerns of many Americans that extremists are creating a poisonous environment that feeds domestic terrorism in this country,” said Rocky Mountains President Vicki Cowart in a statement. “We will never back away from providing care in a safe, supportive environment that millions of people rely on and trust.”
Pro-life groups were quick to condemn the violence just as they condemn Planned Parenthood for killing children.
“We believe the way to end serious conflict in a civil society is by ballots, not bullets,” said Brian Johnston, chairman of California ProLife, told reporters. “Whatever the motive of this shooter, this is the wrong way to address the most important issue of our time, and only clouds peoples’ emotions and understanding of what is at stake and how to bring positive change.”