Convicted felon Robert Dear has died in federal custody after he was charged with killing three people and injuring nine others at a Planned Parenthood clinic in 2015.
Dear died at the age of 67 while receiving treatment at a medical facility for federal prisoners in Springfield, Missouri, on Saturday, November 22, according to The Associated Press, The New York Times, and Reuters.
It’s not currently clear why he was receiving medical treatment, though the outlets reported that Dear died of natural causes.
The felon previously made headlines when he was charged with killing three people and injuring nine others during a mass shooting at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, Colorado on November 27, 2015.
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After the mass shooting, Dear got into a tense standoff with police that lasted for nearly six hours. Dear was finally taken into police custody after he rammed an armored vehicle into the Planned Parenthood as he attempted to evacuate 24 other people who remained inside of the building.
At the time, Dear claimed he attacked the clinic because he was “upset” at Planned Parenthood for performing abortions. Additionally, the search warrant affidavit stated he claimed he believed Planned Parenthood was “selling” baby parts. In fact, he even declared that he was a “warrior for the babies.”
Dear remained in custody since the day of the shooting, though his case never went to trial because he was repeatedly found to be incompetent to stand trial.
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Two state-appointed psychologists diagnosed Dear with a paranoid delusional disorder and said he would not be able to understand the facts and reality laid out in court, according to the Associated Press. In light of the conclusion, State courts in Colorado ruled he was not mentally fit to stand trial in 2016.
In 2019, prosecutors tried to convict Dear at the federal level. However, a U.S. district judge ultimately ruled the shooter was unfit to stand trial in 2021.
Dear’s victims in the mass shooting included Army veteran Ke’Arre Stewart, Jenifer Markovsky and Garrett Swasey.
