Helen Grafton
November 29, 2015
Colorado Shooting
Tragedy Strikes Colorado
On Friday November 27, 2015 a gunman opened fire on shoppers at a Colorado mini-mall, killing three and injuring nine. Of the dead includes Garrett Swasey. Swasey worked at University of Colorado Colorado Springs as an on-campus officer. When he heard of the attack at Planned Parenthood he drove 10 miles to the scene to see how he could aid the state officers. "There was no way any of us could have kept him here, he was always willing to go...he had an enthusiasm that was hard to quell,” said UCCS Police Chief Brian McPike. Swasey was a beloved member of his community and of his university. One can even see his family pictured on the Home Chapel website
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According to a witness, one man was crawling through the parking lot, attempting to hide, when Dear caught sight of him. Dear then stalked the man through the lot. It is unclear whether this man survived. Another witness, William Carson, 23, had just gotten out of his car when he heard the gunshots. “I heard six or seven shots while I was still out of the car. One second in between each shot. Fast, but not machine gun fast,” said Carson. He then hid in a chiropractors office and called his family to make escape plans. After being held in their places for hours, the bloody man in the grocery store was rescued and taken to a nearby hospital. Others in the grocery store were told to remain there until authorities knew it was absolutely safe to leave. Soon later, officers arrived at the grocery store, and other stores in the shopping center, to tell everyone it was safe to leave. Of these were Schilter and her boyfriend, Jackson Ricker, 18. Ricker recalls that his girlfriend had witnessed the shooting of a cyclist and two women, just a few weeks