[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 173 (Tuesday, December 1, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8209-S8210]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        TRAGEDY AT PLANNED PARENTHOOD CLINIC IN COLORADO SPRINGS

  Mr. BENNET. Mr. President, I am here to reflect on the tragedy that 
occurred in Colorado Springs last week. There, a gunman attacked a 
Planned Parenthood clinic, killing three people and injuring nine 
others. Colorado is mourning the losses of the three who were murdered, 
all of whom were parents in the prime of their lives and all of whom 
represented the best of our State.
  Officer Garrett Swasey was one of the first officers to arrive at the 
scene. He had served as an officer at the University of Colorado 
Colorado Springs Police Department for 6 years. Garrett had been 
married to his wife Rachel for 17 years. He leaves behind his two 
children--Faith, who is only 6, and Elijah, who just turned 11 on 
Sunday. His wife said:

       His greatest joys were his family, his church, and his 
     profession. We will cherish his memory, especially those 
     times he spent tossing the football to his son and snuggling 
     with his daughter on the couch.

  She went on to note:

       Helping others brought him deep satisfaction and being a 
     police officer was a part of him. In the end, his last act 
     was for the safety and well-being of others and was a tribute 
     to his life.

  Officer Swasey's actions last Friday spoke to his extraordinary 
courage and selflessness. As a university police officer, he wasn't 
under any obligation to respond when he first heard of the incident 
through emergency radio. He could have looked the other way. Yet he was 
one of the first to arrive at Planned Parenthood, which is 4 miles away 
from the university.
  His good friend and copastor said that Officer Swasey often responded 
to dangerous calls off campus and that he put other people's lives 
before his own.

[[Page S8210]]

The University of Colorado Colorado Springs police chief said:

       There was no way any of us could have kept him here. He was 
     always willing to go. . . . He had an enthusiasm that was 
     hard to quell.

  Officer Swasey is truly a hero in every sense of the word. Before 
joining the university police force, Officer Swasey was a Junior 
National Champion ice skater. Upon hearing the news of the tragedy, his 
skating partner, with whom he won that championship, observed:

       Garrett was selfless, always there to help me, always my 
     wingman. He was my brother and my partner. I could always 
     count on him.

  After his competitive career, Officer Swasey continued to teach 
skating. He also served as a copastor at Hope Chapel, which he and his 
family attended since 2001. At church he led care groups and taught 
Scripture and guitar. At services on Sunday, a fellow pastor at the 
church described how he felt. ``You don't realize how much you love 
someone until you can't tell him anymore.''

  Our State is also mourning the loss of Ke'Arre Marcell Stewart. He 
was only 29 years old. Here is how his family and friends have 
described Ke'Arre: ``a good friend and an amazing listener''; ``one of 
the most caring men I've ever met''; ``someone you could just sit and 
talk to about life''; ``caring, giving, funny and just a damn good 
person.''
  Those traits were on display Friday when he was at Planned Parenthood 
accompanying a friend. He served our country in the Army and was 
deployed to Iraq between 2005 and 2006. Last week he died as he was 
trying to save others. According to reports, after being shot outside 
of the building, Ke'Arre ran back inside to warn others to seek safety. 
His family credits his military training and instinct for how he 
responded. Ke'Arre wasn't a native of Colorado. He was born in Texas, 
where he was a three-sport athlete, playing football, basketball, and 
running track. His friends say he moved to Colorado because he was 
stationed at Fort Carson and stayed, like so many of us, because he 
loved our beautiful State. Ke'Arre had two children, both daughters. 
They are 11 and 6 years old. His friend observed that ``he loved his 
daughters to death. He would do anything for them.''
  Finally, the third victim, Jennifer Markovsky, was also accompanying 
a friend to the clinic on Friday. Jennifer grew up in Hawaii, where she 
met her husband who was serving in the Army at the time. About a decade 
ago--in a story similar to Ke'Arre's--they moved to Colorado when he 
was reassigned. Jennifer's family described her as a loving wife and 
mother to a young son and daughter. Her sister-in-law told the Colorado 
Springs Gazette: ``She lived for her kids.'' She said Jennifer often 
took her children, who are 10 and 6, on hikes and spent time with them 
baking and working on crafts. Her father, who had just wished her a 
happy Thanksgiving one day earlier, called her ``the most lovable 
person . . . kind-hearted . . . always there when I needed her.''
  Yesterday her husband said:

       She was a very caring and compassionate person and patient 
     and understanding parent. She was deeply loved by all who 
     knew her. She was always helping the kids do homework and 
     reading books with them. We will miss her; her cooking, 
     crafting and adventurous spirit.

  Three young parents who woke up last Friday morning with long, bright 
futures ahead of them, with the chance to raise their children and 
watch them grow and learn, with the chance to contribute, as they had 
before, to our community and our country but instead whose lives were 
violently ended in a hail of gunfire--three strangers to each other, 
now joined together in our fondest memories. Nine others were wounded, 
and our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families as well.
  We should also honor and thank the Colorado Springs Police Department 
and other local law enforcement agencies that responded so swiftly and 
effectively. Five officers were wounded in the attack.
  I wish to also recognize the employees at Planned Parenthood who 
worked tirelessly during the extended shooting and hostage incident to 
ensure that their patients were kept safe.
  This is not the day to talk about how our country begins to emerge 
from this season of killing and violence, but let me simply say in 
recent years too many of our children and parents have had their lives 
stolen, and too many of the rest of us have lived to pursue the 
ordinary course of our lives--going to school, going to work, seeking 
health care--in the shadows of the question: Whose child will be next? 
Whose mom and dad will be next?
  What we need today--instead of charged rhetoric and political 
tactics--is to find a way to at least begin figuring out how we can 
deal with these problems that we need to solve, how we can make things 
better.
  I thank my colleagues for their comforting words this week, and I 
hope we will all take time in the days ahead to think of the families 
and victims involved in this tragedy. Take a moment to think of the 
kids who lost their mom or dad.
  I have no doubt that the Colorado Springs community and our State 
will come together to heal during this difficult time. We could all 
take a cue from that here.
  I thank the Presiding Officer, and I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wyoming.

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