Police Officer Killed in Colorado Planned Parenthood Shooting was Also a Pastor

Amanda Casanova | ChristianHeadlines.com Contributor | Updated: Nov 30, 2015

Police Officer Killed in Colorado Planned Parenthood Shooting was Also a Pastor

A Colorado Springs church gathered Sunday to mourn the loss of a church elder and police officer who was gunned down Friday in a shooting at a Planned Parenthood Clinic.

Garrett Swasey was part of the Hope Chapel in Colorado Springs, a congregation of about 100 people, according to Christianity Today. 

He was married and had two children. He had been with the University of Colorado Colorado Springs police force for six years, according to Life News.

“You don’t realize how much you love someone until you can’t tell them anymore,” said Hope Chapel co-pastor Scott Dontanville.

“Here’s a guy who worked full time as a police officer, and then gave a great amount of time to his local church and didn’t get a dime for it,” Dontanville said. “He did it because it was the thing that he felt he needed to do.”

According to reports, Robert Lewis Dear wounded nine people and killed three, including Swasey.

Dear, 57, opened fire with police during the shooting on the clinic and later surrendered. 

Hope Chapel members also gathered to pray for Dear. He was expected to appear in court early this week to face charges. He reportedly told police that he is against abortion.

“God, we forgive him. We can’t not,” Dontanville prayed, according to The Denver Post. “You’ve forgiven him. Garrett's forgiven him.”

Planned Parenthood representatives said that none of the killed or injured were abortion clinic staff or patients.

Photo courtesy: flickr.com

Publication date: November 30, 2015



Police Officer Killed in Colorado Planned Parenthood Shooting was Also a Pastor