DENVER — The case involving a man who allegedly shot and killed three people at a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood in 2015 has been on hold for nearly a decade.
Now, there’s another obstacle preventing it from moving forward.
Robert Dear is accused of fatally shooting 44-year-old University of Colorado in Colorado Springs Police Officer Garrett Swasey; 36-year-old Jennifer Markovsky, a mother of two; and Ke’Arre Stewart, a 29-year-old Army veteran and father of two. Eight others were also injured in the November 2015 shooting.
The case has been in limbo for eight years, after Dear was found incompetent for trial in 2016.
Last September, a U.S. district judge determined that Dear could be forcibly medicated , in an attempt to restore him to competency — but his defense filed an appeal to prevent that from happening.
Attorneys are now awaiting the decision from a federal level after the appeal.
Thursday morning, the U.S. Court of Appeals heard oral arguments from both sides.