The man who killed three people at a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood clinic in 2015 has reportedly died in police custody, closing a nearly decade-long legal battle that exposed the dangerous intersection of extremist ideology and mental health crises.
Story Overview
- Robert Lewis Dear Jr., who carried out the deadly 2015 Planned Parenthood attack, has reportedly died in custody
- Dear killed three people including a police officer and wounded nine others in his anti-abortion rampage
- The case stalled for nearly a decade due to Dear’s mental incompetence and legal battles over forced medication
- Federal courts had recently ordered involuntary medication to restore Dear’s competency for trial
Deadly Attack Motivated by Anti-Abortion Extremism
On November 27, 2015, Robert Lewis Dear Jr. launched a five-hour armed assault on a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The 57-year-old gunman killed three innocent people: police officer Garrett Swasey, Ke’Arre M. Stewart, and Jennifer Markovsky, while injuring nine others.
Dear explicitly stated he sought to “wage war” on Planned Parenthood due to its abortion services, representing one of the deadliest attacks on reproductive health providers in U.S. history.
Legal System Stymied by Mental Health Issues
Dear’s prosecution became mired in complex legal proceedings after he was declared mentally incompetent to stand trial in May 2016. Despite facing 68 federal charges including violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, Dear’s delusional disorder prevented meaningful legal proceedings.
The case exemplified how mental health crises can be weaponized by extremist ideologies, creating challenges for both justice and public safety that traditional legal frameworks struggle to address.
Federal Courts Authorize Forced Medication
In February 2025, federal judges ordered Dear to be forcibly medicated to restore his competency for trial after the Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal. This controversial decision highlighted the tension between individual rights and the pursuit of justice for victims’ families who had waited nearly a decade for resolution.
The forced medication order represented a significant legal precedent in cases involving ideologically motivated violence and mental incompetence, raising constitutional concerns about government overreach in medical decisions.
Pattern of Anti-Abortion Violence Continues
Dear’s attack was part of a disturbing pattern of violence targeting abortion providers that has plagued America since the 1970s, including the 2009 murder of Dr. George Tiller and the 1998 Birmingham clinic bombing.
The Colorado Springs shooting occurred amid heightened national debate over abortion rights and controversial videos about Planned Parenthood’s practices. This case underscores how extremist rhetoric can radicalize unstable individuals into committing acts of domestic terrorism against healthcare facilities and innocent Americans.
The reported death of Dear in custody brings a somber conclusion to a case that exposed the dangerous consequences of anti-abortion extremism and the challenges of prosecuting ideologically motivated violence when complicated by serious mental health issues.
Sources:
Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood shooting – Wikipedia
Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood shooter ordered medicated by judge – Colorado Public Radio
