COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The man who was charged with killing three people and wounding several others at a Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs in 2015, but has been repeatedly found incompetent, has died in federal custody.
According to Federal Bureau of Prisons, Robert L. Dear died on Nov. 22, 2025 at U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners Springfield in Missouri. His cause of death will be released by a medical examiner.
Dear, 67, never faced a jury in connection with the shooting because doctors always found him incompetent to stand trial. He was previously diagnosed with a delusional disorder. His case had been in limbo since his arrest.
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This case began on Nov. 27, 2015.
That day, Dear, then-57 years old, went to the Planned Parenthood-Rocky Mountains clinic, on the north side of Colorado Springs, because it offered abortion services and he wanted to wage “war,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice. He brought four rifles, five handguns, two additional rifles, a shotgun and more than 500 rounds of ammunition, plus propane tanks, the department reported, and initially shot at people parked next to his car, killing one of them and seriously injuring the other two. The DOJ said he then shot at three other people who were in front of the clinic, killing one of them.
Dear is accused of then forcing his way into the clinic, which at that point, held 27 people inside, including healthcare providers, patients and companions.
A five-hour standoff followed.
He "repeatedly" shot at first responders, and killed University of Colorado Colorado Springs Police Officer Garrett Swasey, the department said. He is also accused of shooting at a propane tank he had placed in the parking lot in an attempt to make it explode.
By the time he was taken into custody, he had killed three people and wounded at least eight, including four police officers, the DOJ said.
The victims were later identified as Ke'Arre M. Stewart, 29, Jennifer Markovsky, 36, and UCCS Police Officer Swasey, 44.
By the time Dear was arrested, he had fired 198 bullets, the DOJ reported.
A few days after, he was charged with 179 felony counts in state court. During the hearing, he had several outbursts in which he said, “I’m guilty. There’s no trial” and “I’m a warrior for the babies.”
Following court-ordered mental competency evaluations, Dear was found not competent to proceed the following May. A judge ordered him to be confined at the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo, where he has remained ever since.
He has been periodically examined since then, but was never deemed competent for trial.
In December 2019, federal charges were filed against Dear. A federal grand jury issued a 68-count indictment against him, which included 65 counts violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act and three counts of use of a firearm during a crime of violence resulting in death where the killing is a murder.
One year later, the DOJ ruled that Dear would not face the death penalty.
There appeared to be some hope in restoring him in August 2022, when, during a three-day hearing in district court, experts in psychiatry who had worked with Dear were called by the prosecution and testified that they believed there was a 70% chance that antipsychotics would restore him to competency. Experts called by the defense testified that antipsychotics were unlikely to render him competent.
The following month, a judge ruled that Dear could be involuntarily medicated after he repeatedly refused to take antipsychotics. This was appealed, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit ruled he could indeed be involuntarily medicated in June 2024.
According to our news partners at The Denver Post, in September 2025, a judge found that because Dear was still found mentally incompetent at that time, it was unlikely that additional treatment would improve his condition.
In a statement obtained by Denver7 Tuesday afternoon, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains (PPRM) said they were aware of Dear's death, and said their focus was on honoring the people impacted by the shooting.
“As we reflect on the 10 years since the Colorado Springs tragedy, we honor and remember those whose lives were lost, as well as the strength and resilience of our staff — current and former —our patients, volunteers, and the Colorado Springs community," the PPRM spokesperson said. "At Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, we remain steadfast in our commitment to providing accessible, nonjudgmental, high-quality healthcare to all who walk through our doors. As we approach this day of remembrance, we are prioritizing our staff's well-being while continuing to meet the needs of our patients and community.”
This is a developing and breaking story and will be updated.
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