The day after a gunman killed three people and shot nine others at a Colorado Planned Parenthood office, officials tell NBC News a motive remains unclear, but say the suspect talked about politics and abortion.
Robert Lewis Dear, a North Carolina native who was living in a trailer in Colorado, made statements to police Friday at the scene of the Colorado Springs clinic and in interviews that law enforcement sources described as rantings.
In one statement, made after the suspect was taken in for questioning, Dear said “no more baby parts” in reference to Planned Parenthood, according to two law enforcement sources with knowledge of the case.
But the sources stressed that Dear said many things to law enforcement and the extent to which the “baby parts” remark played into any decision to target the Planned Parenthood office was not yet clear. He also mentioned President Barack Obama in statements.
Related: Survivor: Planned Parenthood Gunman ‘Was Aiming For My Head’
Dear is being held on no bond, and isn’t expected to appear in court until Monday, according to jail booking records.
Law enforcement officials are looking into the background of the suspect. Police are interviewing people who knew Dear, including his girlfriend in Colorado. They are also examining his computer and any social media footprint.
Sources said there would have been nothing apparent in Dear’s background — including a felony conviction or previous mental health issue — that would have disqualified him from buying an AK-47 style, high-powered rifle used in the shootings.
Related: Officer Slain in Colorado Planned Parenthood Attack Was Beloved Dad, Church Leader
But a look at Dear’s criminal past shows a history of other arrests, including ones for domestic violence against his then-wife in 1997, and being a “Peeping Tom” in 2002 after a neighbor in South Carolina reported him watching her, according to documents obtained by NBC News.
Friday morning’s shooting at the Colorado Springs clinic resulted in a five-hour standoff between the suspect and police. One of the three killed was a police officer, Garrett Swasey, 44; the other two, described as civilians, will be identified pending autopsies, officials said.
(Source: poltlfreakshow, via opisaterf)
