Officers Hurt in Colorado Springs Active Shooter Situation, Police Looking

Police on Friday swarmed the scene of an “active shooter” situation they said was unfolding inside a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and four officers and an undetermined number of civilians were injured, police and hospital officials said.

No specific information has been given about the suspects, although police have confirmed that he was “described as white man in a trench coat with an assault rifle”.

Authorities are still working to clear the Planned Parenthood facility where the suspect remains.

Denise Speller, the manager of a nearby haircut salon, said she heard as many as 20 gunshots in less than five minutes. Buckley said, “We can’t confirm where the shooter is at this point”.

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper released the following statement: “We hold the Colorado Springs community in our thoughts and prayers”.

The Colorado Springs Police Department, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, University of Colorado – Colorado Springs Police Department, FBI, ATF, and Colorado Bureau of Investigation are on the scene.

Buckley said several people escaped from the building when the incident started and ran to a nearby bank.

Vicki Cowart, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Rocky Mountains, said: “We don’t yet know the full circumstances and motives behind this criminal action, and we don’t yet know if Planned Parenthood was in fact the target of this attack”. “We do not know about this person’s mentality or ideology”, Buckley added. At that time, police said the situation remained unstable and it was unknown whether any civilians had sustained injuries. They say they’re now trying to remove wounded people from the scene.

“We’re not sure of what the connection is to Planned Parenthood, but that was the original address that we received for the call for service”, Lt. Buckley said. Officials said the suspect had not been identified and it was too soon to speculate on a reason for the attack.

The shooter had barricaded himself inside the facility before he surrendered to officers.

Scanner traffic indicated at least two officers were down, one near a dumpster, and another taken by ambulance to a hospital.

Update 7:05 p.m.: Authorities are evacuating people from the Planned Parenthood building. The other then knelt down to help them, then tried to get them to safety behind the vehicle, she said. One police officer was killed in the shoot-out, law enforcement sources told ABC News.

Officers told shoppers at a nearby shopping centre to stay indoors while the gunman was on the loose.