Garrett Preston Russell Swasey, 44, was killed in the line of duty in Colorado Springs on November 27, 2015. A six-year veteran of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Police Department, he also served as a co-pastor and was married to his wife, Rachel. He and Rachel had two young children, a son and a daughter. Swasey had been a junior national champion in ice skating in 1992.

The shooting began shortly after 11:30 a.m. when a gunman armed with a rifle entered a Planned Parenthood clinic and opened fire. Officer Swasey was among the first responders and was fatally shot during the attack. Two civilians, KeArre M. Stewart and Jennifer Markovsky, were also killed. The incident included a five-hour standoff that ended when a SWAT team breached the building with an armored vehicle and the suspect surrendered.

The arrested man was identified as Robert Lewis Dear Jr., who faced charges including first-degree murder; court proceedings described repeated anti-abortion outbursts and declarations of guilt, and litigation over his competency and treatment was ongoing.