In a relatively unique active shooter event where the shooter ended up arrested instead of killed or committing suicide, the November 27, 2015 attack on a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, Colorado might seem unique. Unfortunately, it is not.
The debate over abortion, abortion rights, the value of unborn life, etc. has raged for a long time. It’s only been in the last forty years (roughly) that we’ve seen blatant attacks on facilities that provide abortions. Many attackers, and this shooting was no different, justify their violence as defending the unborn. In this case, the perpetrator, Robert Lewis Dear, Jr. (Dear from here on) described himself as “a warrior for the babies.” His outlook, viewing himself as a warrior whose actions were morally justified, might have been better accepted if the rest of his behavior had been more reasonable. It wasn’t. In fact, his behavior in the courtroom during hearings was such that the judge ordered Dear to be evaluated for competency to stand trial. That evaluation determined that Dear was delusional and he was committed to a state mental facility where he remains. (A new evaluation was performed this year and Dear remains incompetent to stand trial.)
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The remainder of this article is part of the book "Active Killers and the Crimes They Perpetrated," available in print or ebook via Amazon.
Joshua Borelli
Joshua Borelli has been studying active shooter and mass attack events over the course of the past several years, commensurate with receiving training on response and recovery to natural disasters and civil disturbances. Joshua started to outline this series of articles in an attempt to identify commonalities and logistical needs patterns for response.
