Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood centre reopens two and a half months after deadly attack

The family planning clinic shut down in late November after a gunman killed three people and wounded nine

Part of the building remains closed and a second security guard stands watch (AP)

Colorado Springs’ single Planned Parenthood centre has partially re-opened just two and a half months after a gunman went on a deadly rampage.

The family planning clinic’s leader said she was in “awe of [her] healing and resilient colleagues” who had come back to work after the attack on 27 November that left three dead.

“We welcome our team and our community back into the space with open arms and full hearts,“ said Vicki Cowart, President and Chief Executive of the Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains.

Usual services, including abortions, cancer screenings and contraceptives will be offered in one part of the building while workers continue repairs elsewhere, as reported by the Gazette.

Ms Coward said a security guard has overseen the building during repairs and a second guard will be present during business hours.

Demand reportedly increased at other clinics while the Colorado Springs centre was closed, while some women delayed getting care.

“It felt awful to not be there for the people we know need us,” Ms Cowart told the Gazette.

On 27 November gunman Robert Lewis Dear Jr, 57, stormed the centre and killed two people and a policeman. He also wounded nine, including five police officers.

An armed police vehicle rammed into the front of the clinic as part of a rescue operation, leaving a large hole in the building to get more people out safely. A plywood structure now covers the hole and people use a different entrance.

A Planned Parenthood petition reads: “We aren't going anywhere. Planned Parenthood has been here for nearly 100 years, and we will keep being here as long as women, men, and young people need health care with dignity. To those who go to shocking extremes to close our doors, know this: These doors stay open.”

The gunman’s court case is on hold after a judge ordered Mr Dear to undergo an evaluation to establish whether he is mentally fit to stand trial.

Mr Dear said he was a “warrior for the babies” and he targeted the clinic because it carried out abortions.

He also mentioned “no more baby parts” to authorities, referring to the fake video that anti-abortion activists edited and spliced together to show Planned Parenthood staff allegedly discussing how they sell fetal tissue for profit. Two of these activists have been indicted in Texas on charges related to the video.