Reports: Active shooter barricaded in Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood, firing at cops; Update: Cops confronting shooter inside the building

No word yet on motive, but there’s a reason why national media have already picked up this story. Fox News is covering it live as I write this.

Police are exchanging gunfire with the suspect. Several injuries are reported, and patients are being transported from the scene.

Mike Violette, executive director of the Colorado Fraternal Order of Police, tweeted that the shooter is barricaded and there are multiple victims.

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The one cop who was wounded was reportedly shot in the hand, but that report may be outdated. According to the Colorado Springs Gazette, multiple cops — and civilians — are hurt:

Scanner traffic indicated at least two officers were down, one near a dumpster, and another taken by ambulance to a hospital. A dispatcher said one patient was wounded at Elite Vision, located an adjacent building at 3470 Centennial Blvd. A later dispatch said at four were injured and an officer was heard requesting an ambulance. Another officer indicated wounded patients were being taken to Penrose Hospital, 2222 N. Nevada Ave.

At least one victim was taken by stretcher to an ambulance shortly after noon…

One officer said on his radio that the gunman shot out the back window of his cruiser as the officer tried to “get a look at him. A dispatcher said the gunman wore a long coat with a “hunting-type” hat.

Because the shooter’s active, media are being kept from the scene. But one reporter got close enough to see this:

Stand by for updates.

Update: Two patients taken to the hospital are reportedly in critical condition. SWAT is on the scene.

Update: Did the shooter target the PP or did he flee to the PP after shooting people elsewhere? Note in the excerpt above that one of the people injured was in an adjacent building, which could mean that the victim was shot inside the PP and ran next door to escape — or could mean that he was shot in that neighboring building and then the gunman ran next door into the Planned Parenthood.

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Update: Now there’s a dispute on social media on whether the shooter is inside the PP at all. On the one hand:

On the other hand: “A gunman holed up in a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs Friday opened fire repeatedly through windows…”

Update: Per the NYT, “A local television station reported that the gunman was firing at passing cars from the parking lot.”

Update: The Gazette is reporting at a little after 3 p.m. ET that the shooter has been “contained,” whatever that means.

Update: ABC Denver is covering all its bases by claiming that the shooter is “at or near” the PP. As noted above, there’s some dispute over where the shooter started shooting and even where he is now. Some media outlets like USA Today say he’s barricaded inside the Planned Parenthood; others won’t go further than to say he’s “near” the building.

Update: USA Today updates: “In addition, some civilians were injured after the gunman walked into the clinic around noon, KKTV reports.”

Update: Welp.

Unsure of his location inside a particular building or unsure of his location, period? If it’s the latter, I don’t know how they can say he’s “contained.”

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Update: New from the Gazette:

1:34: The shooting situation remains active and the shooter is not contained. Colorado Springs police says there is no connection to Planned Parenthood and shooting victims are getting treatment.

Where the hell did the “barricaded inside Planned Parenthood” story come from?

Update: Conservatives on Twitter are sarcastically encouraging liberals to hurry up and pivot away now from their “all pro-lifers are maniacs” narrative to the tried-and-true “we must confiscate all guns” spin.

Update: A little more from the Gazette: “Police say they do not know the connection to Planned Parenthood, but that is where the 911 call came from.” Okay, but what about that KKTV report referenced above that the gunman “walked into the clinic around noon”?

Update: I’m so thoroughly confused at this point, I think maybe it’s best not to update any further. Here’s USA Today’s latest take on the shooting:

Police said Friday afternoon that they were still trying determine exactly where the gunman was holed up inside the building

Officers speaking on the police scanner said the gunman might be in the attic or behind the ceiling tiles in one room of the building, but that his whereabouts was uncertain.

[Police officer Lt. Catherine] Buckley said the incident began when police got a call at 11:38 a.m. that a gunman had entered the building. Responding officers, she said, “encountered active gunfire.” . Police do not know what connection, if any, the gunman has with Planned Parenthood, she said.

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So we’ve got the Gazette claiming there’s no connection to PP and that the shooter is still loose and we’ve got USA Today claiming that not only was he inside the PP, he’s still somewhere inside. Feel free to use this thread to comment but I’m going to sit back for awhile.

Update: Okay, Fox News seems pretty confident given their new report at 4:45 p.m. ET: The gunman is inside Planned Parenthood — and so are the cops. They’re “engaging” him now. But per MSNBC, the shooting didn’t start there:

Did he target the Chase and then flee to the PP?

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Ed Morrissey 12:40 PM | December 16, 2024
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