“We’re here to demand a more civil, fact-based discourse, and less fear mongering”, Amy Runyon-Harmes with ProgressNow Colorado said at the Capitol.
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Hood says, “I didn’t think he would go to that extreme or do something like that. There are no plans to disband the committee”, she said.
During Monday’s 12 minute hearing, Presiding judge Gilbert Martinez advised Dear of his rights, and notified him of his initial charge. He was flanked by Daniel King, an attorney with with the Colorado State Public Defender’s office who recently defended James Holmes, the gunman in the 2012 Aurora theater shooting. Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers and presidential candidates have seized on the videos as a core issue, with some employing rhetoric Planned Parenthood supporters say could fuel violence like that seen in Colorado.
Robert Dear, 57, of Hartsel, made his first court appearance Monday for advisement of an initial charge of first-degree murder for the November 27 attack which killed a police officer and two civilians and also injured four other civilians and five police officers.
Vicki Cowart, the head of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, said in a statement that witnesses to the shooting spree had confirmed Drew “was motivated by opposition to safe and legal abortions”. But Dear has been described by acquaintances as a reclusive loner who did not seem to have strong political or social opinions.
The panel’s Democratic members said they won’t boycott future hearings if it’s not disbanded. Dear is expected to be formally charged on December 9.
Speaking at a global warming conference Tuesday, President Barack Obama says he hopes the shooting spurs conversation and action on deterring gun violence.
On Nov. 28 Bishop Michael Sheridan of Colorado Springs voiced prayers for the victims of the attack and those who “experienced the horror of being trapped in or near Planned Parenthood”.
Though Dear’s motives for the attack have not been confirmed by investigators, “baby parts” is a clear reference to the widely debunked series of videos released earlier this year that show Planned Parenthood staff talking about fetal tissue research.
The police report indicates the incident involved “assault and battery with intent to kill (rape)” and criminal sexual conduct.
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Little information about Dear’s background has been released and documents in the Colorado Springs case have been sealed.
