COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The Colorado attorney general honored the first responders who put their lives on the line during the Planned Parenthood shooting in November in Colorado Springs.
Attorney General Cynthia Coffman said many lives were saved that day thanks to the brave actions of the first responders.
During a special ceremony at the Colorado Springs City Hall council chambers, Coffman recollected on what she called the darkest day in Colorado Springs history.
“Through the initial confusion more details came in and a horrific picture came into focus,” she said.
On Nov. 27, police said Robert Dear opened fire inside the Planned Parenthood office. It became clear first responders had an active shooter scene on their hands. Coffman remembered watching the situation unfold on live television.
“I saw raw footage of a perimeter crowded with emergency vehicles in frigid conditions. Snow falling on cops and firefighters and EMTs who were oblivious to the storm and anything other than ending the standoff and saving lives,” she said.
It would be five hours before Dear surrendered. Police said he killed three people, including police officer Garrett Swasey of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Police Department. He also injured five police officers and four civilians.
“While lives were lost, it is without question that the actions of CSPD officers saved many lives both in the facility and in the surrounding area,” Coffman said.
As the Colorado Springs community continues to heal from the deadly attack, Tuesday morning’s ceremony was about thanking the first responders who displayed remarkable bravery on that cold November day.
Those honored included members of the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs Police Department, the Colorado Springs Police Department, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office and the Colorado Springs Fire Department.
“On behalf of my fellow Coloradans, I thank you all for your dedication, your leadership and your sacrifice. You represent first responders across this great state who are trained and ready should today be their November 27th,” Coffman said.
“On the blackest of Fridays in Colorado Springs, Colorado, we understood that heroes are at work among us.”
Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers also presented the “Spirit of the Springs” award to six civilians he said also selflessly helped save lives that day.
Among those were: Dr. Derek Hurst of Centennial Family Practice; Michael Hagiwara, a nurse for Penrose’s Emergency Department; Kelley Hayes, who works at the Colorado Hand Center; Cathy Stark a manager at the nearby King Soopers; and Bridget Holisky and Carmella Vega, who both work at the Centennial office of Mountain View Medical Group.