Three police officers have been injured in a shooting incident near a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs.
There are no details at this time about any civilian casualties or if the shooter was specifically targeting Planned Parenthood.
Three officers were injured Friday in a shooting near a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs and the gunman has been contained, police said.
Commander Kirk Wilson told KKTV that two of the officers were evacuated and authorities were still trying to reach the third.
He couldn’t immediately say how the officers were doing or how the gunman was contained.
Denise Speller, the manager of a nearby haircut salon, said she heard as many as 20 gunshots in the span of less than five minutes.
She told The Gazette of Colorado Springs that she saw a police cruiser and two officers near a Chase Bank branch, not far from the Planned Parenthood facility.
One of the officers appeared to fall to the ground and the other office knelt down to render aid then tried to get the officer to safety behind the car, she said. Another officer told Speller to seek shelter inside the building.
“We’re still pretty freaked out,” Speller said by phone. “We can’t stop shaking. For now we’re stuck back here not knowing.”
Earlier, ambulances and police vehicles lined up near an intersection and police told people via Twitter to stay away from the shooting scene because it was not secure.
Footage from KKTV showed police cars and officers stationed along closed streets outside a nearby shopping center. Police previously warned people to shelter in place.
Mike Pelosi, who works at a deli at a nearby King Sooper grocery store, said he heard over the store’s loudspeaker just before noon that nobody could leave the store.
Pelosi said customers and store employees were confused about what was going on but not panicked. He said a couple dozen customers were standing near the store entrance waiting for instructions.
Developing…
Update: Four policemen, at least 4 civilians injured
Police are reporting that 4 policemen and at least 4 civilians have been injured in what is still being described as an “active shooter” situation. It is unknown whether the incident is connected to Planned Parenthood or not. A bank is close by the scene of the shootings.
Asked if the shooter could have taken hostages, Buckley said, “There is that possibility.”
She said there was one active shooter, and that it was unclear what precipitated the incident.
“We don’t have anything about this individual’s mentality, or his ideas or his ideology,” Buckley told reporters. “We are trying to stabilize the situation now. … We have brought all of our resources to bear in order to conserve life and take care of the community first.”
“At this time, our concern is for the safety of our patients, staff and law enforcement,” said Vicki Cowart, the president and chief executive of Planned Parenthood Rocky Mountain.
At least eight people have been transported from the scene to local hospitals.
Erin Emery, spokeswoman for UCHealth Memorial, said the hospital received three patients who were injured in the incident. Their conditions were not known. Penrose Hospital said it had received five patients.
(Updated at 5:07 PM Eastern)
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