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Suspect in Colorado clinic shooting told he faces murder charge

Dear will appear before a judge at the El Paso County Jail and the hearing starts at 1:30 pm (2030 GMT).

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A judge advised Robert Lewis Dear, 57, that he’s being held on suspicion of first-degree murder, a charge that could carry a minimum penalty of life in prison or a maximum penalty of death if he’s convicted.

He killed a police officer and two civilians who were accompanying separate friends to the clinic: Jennifer Markovsky, 36, a mother of two and Ke’Arre Stewart, 29, an Iraq War veteran and father of two. The attack also left nine others injured.

People in West Hollywood, meanwhile, say they do not expect a repeat of the tragedy.

Anti-abortion activists, part of a group called the Center for Medical Progress, denounced the “barbaric killing spree in Colorado Springs by a violent madman” and offered prayers for the dead and wounded and for their families.

Planned Parenthood has denied seeking any payments beyond legally permitted reimbursement costs for donating the organs to researchers.

Dear mentioned “baby parts” after the shooting and expressed anti-abortion and anti-government views, a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation said. “We are all suffering from the fact this has just happened”.

The police records from SC show that a woman living in the Charleston area told police that Dear, then a 34-year-old self-employed art salesman, approached her at her place of work in 1992 and repeatedly asked her out on dates despite her refusals.

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper on CNN’s State of the Union called the attack “a form of terrorism”.

Zigmond Post, a neighbor, said Dear brought him some anti-Obama pamphlets once.

“The case may fit the criteria for a federal domestic terrorism case, but based on my experience, I would be very surprised if this is not simply a local prosecution”, said Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers, a former USA attorney and state attorney general.

Swasey was a University of Colorado-Colorado Springs officer who rushed to the clinic to offer his assistance.

Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains CEO and president Vicki Cowart praised the 15 clinic employees “who did what they needed to do to protect everyone in the building”.

“I believe that’s his military instinct, you know”, NBC News quoted his brother, Leyonte Chandler, as saying.

“I strongly support Planned Parenthood and its work and hope people realize that bitter rhetoric can have unintended consequences”, added Senator Bernie Sanders, Clinton’s top challenger for the Democratic nomination, on Saturday. She said there was no armed security when the shooting began.

“There are other women’s health clinics that could provide similar services so I don’t see why we should have it. It seems to lead to all kinds of problems that we don’t really need”, said Anna Baker.

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Investigators have not confirmed the killer’s motives, but the words “baby parts” were repeated for months by Republicans in Congress and in the White House race as they blasted Planned Parenthood, which stood accused of profiting from the sale of fetal tissue.

Robert Lewis Dear