COLORADO SPRINGS — In his final sermon, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Officer Garrett Swasey reminded others to search for understanding.
One person’s actions and wrongs ultimately will affect someone else — a certainty that he said should bring about awareness and, more importantly, kindness.
Hundreds of people packed a gym Saturday night at UCCS to honor Swasey, who was killed while responding to a call for help at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs on Friday.
The packed gym was nearly silent as those who spoke about Swasey, 44, asked everyone to carry on the teachings he shared as an elder at a local church. They told people that when they think about the shooter, to extend the forgiveness Swasey believed in.
Law enforcement officers from multiple agencies attended the vigil and were each given a blue candle.
Campus Police Chief Brian McPike called Swasey an “amazing, amazing person.”
Everyone who spoke reminded the crowd that Swasey did not have to respond to the call Friday, but anyone who knew him knows there was no stopping him.
“He was always just willing to go,” McPike said.
“There was no way you could hold him down.”
Swasey’s wife told McPike that she knew he “would not not go. He loved what he did.”
The vigil was one of many held Saturday to honor Swasey and two civilians killed during the shooting that lead to an hours-long standoff with officers. The identities of the civilians have not been released.
Grief took many forms Saturday as people braved freezing temperatures to mourn.
But no matter how they shared their sorrow, disbelief, and, in some cases, anger, community members united behind one another and searched for a way to heal.
Some people bowed their heads in prayer, while others stood up and called for action.
A Saturday morning vigil at the All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church repeatedly drifted into issues as officials with Planned Parenthood and others spoke. One woman was so frustrated about the “political statements” that she left.
As people shared hugs and tears, a man quietly walked into the back of the chapel and held up a sign that read: “Women’s bodies are not battlefields, neither is our town.”
The Rev. Nori Rost told the group to seek comfort for the victims and forgiveness for the shooter.
It was the second time in weeks that Rost oversaw a vigil for a shooting in the city. On Halloween, a gunman shot and killed three people and was killed by police.
“We’re here because somehow we’re the front-page news,” Rost said. “We’re here to honor the lives of those who were killed yesterday by a domestic terrorist.”
Rost and other speakers repeatedly called the suspect a “terrorist” and the shooting “an act of terror.”
“Mainly we’re here to find comfort in each other’s company,” she said. “To remember we’re not alone.”
People bowed their heads in prayer and thought. Tears trickled down cheeks. Hands reached for those next to them.
Vicki Cowart, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Rocky Mountain, received a standing ovation as she walked to the stage.
“Our hearts break for what’s just happened,” Cowart said.
The 15 employees inside the Planned Parenthood also received a standing ovation. Those employees inside the clinic “did what they needed to do to protect everyone in the building,” she said.
Cowart said she did not know the suspect’s motivations, but she did know and believe in the reasons and services that people come to the clinics for.
Now, Planned Parenthood will “stand firmer” and continue to work toward its goals. “We believe all people deserve this right to freedom,” Cowart said. “We will adapt. We will straighten our shoulders, and we will go on.”
After Cowart spoke, a woman, who stated that she supports Planned Parenthood, stood up and spoke over the next speaker.
“I thought we were here to grieve and mourn for the people who died and not make political statements,” she said.
The woman walked out, and several people applauded her as she went.
After the woman left, Rost and other speakers raised issues such as gun control, mental health services and abortions.
“I must go on and be a voice that says no more, no more, no more,” Rost said.
Rost said she cannot be that voice without pushing for stricter gun laws.
“We can do better than this,” Rost said. “Together, we can do better than this.”
The vigil ended with the group singing “Amazing Grace.”
