Colorado Planned Parenthood shooter has died while in federal custody

Robert Dear, who perpetrated a mass shooting 10 years ago at a Colorado Planned Parenthood facility, has died while in federal custody.

Key Takeaways:

• In 2015, Dear committed a mass shooting at a Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado Springs. Nine people were injured, and three people were killed.

• Though Dear claimed to be motivated by pro-life activism, a judge found him incompetent and he was sent to a mental hospital without ever standing trial.

• In 2019, federal charges were filed against Dear but he was found incompetent to stand trial again in 2022.

• Dear died of natural causes, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

The Backstory:

On November 27, 2015, Dear opened fire at a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood facility. Nine people were injured, and three — one police officer and two civilians — were killed.

Dear, who was 57 at the time, had multiple prior arrest records and had been accused of domestic violence. Neighbors had reported odd behavior, and claimed he never talked about politics or religion.

Nevertheless, Dear was alleged to have said, "No more baby parts!" during his arrest, supposedly in reference to the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) videos, which exposed the trafficking of body parts of aborted babies in the abortion industry. During court proceedings, he also reportedly shouted that he was guilty, and that he was a "warrior for the babies."

Judge Gilbert Anthony Martinez had Dear's mental status tested, and found him mentally incompetent to stand trial. Reuters reported at the time:

... [T]wo court-appointed state psychologists... evaluated Dear and concluded he was suffering from a psychotic delusional disorder that they said rendered him mentally unfit to stand trial.

The judge said he was convinced that while Dear could comprehend the proceedings from a factual standpoint, his delusions and paranoia left him unable to meaningfully assist in his own defense.

Dear was then remanded to a Colorado mental health hospital indefinitely, though he was eventually handed over to the Federal Bureau of Prisons in 2022. He was facing faced 68 federal charges and 179 state charges.

Garrett Swasey, the police officer who died in the shooting, was a pro-life Christian pastor. He was 10 miles away from the Planned Parenthood facility but immediately responded, rushing to the scene and giving his life to save those present at Planned Parenthood that day.

The Details:

Dear died while in federal custody, with the Federal Bureau of Prisons saying it was due to natural causes. He had again been found incompetent to stand trial as recently as October, so he died without ever having stood trial. He was 67 years old. No further details were given.

WLBT 3 reported:

According to a news release from the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, they are beginning the process of dismissing the case in state court, pending the receipt of Dear’s official death certificate. Dear was being prosecuted jointly in state and federal cases by both the 4th Judicial DA’s Office and the U.S. Department of Justice.

Judges had ruled that Dear had to be given psychotropic medication in an effort to make him sane enough to stand trial, though he repeatedly refused; in June of 2024, a judge said he could be given the medication against his will.

Though Dear had been in the federal prison system since 2022, Colorado Public Radio reported that he was in the process of being civilly committed again, which would have placed him back into a mental health hospital.

The Bottom Line:

November 27, 2025, will mark 10 years to the day that the shooting occurred.