Abortion foe arrested in shooting outside S.C. Planned Parenthood clinic
COLUMBIA, S.C. - The head of an anti-abortion group has been charged in a shooting outside Columbia’s Planned Parenthood clinic.
Records show 56-year-old Mark Baumgartner was booked at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center on Tuesday. He’s charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, as well as possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
He was granted a $50,000 cash bond after a hearing on Tuesday. Cash bond requires those charged to pay the entire sum before being released.
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Baumgartner, the executive director of anti-abortion group A Moment of Hope, was identified by a witness who shared footage of the Nov. 14 incident.
Footage shows the moments leading up to a shooting near a Columbia Planned Parenthood clinic on Friday.
The video shows Baumgartner and another man getting into a confrontation outside the Planned Parenthood clinic before Baumgartner sprayed the other man with what appeared to be mace or pepper spray.
Baumgartner then ran from the other man and the two ended up on the ground. When they got up and the other person went toward Baumgartner again, a gunshot could be heard. Baumgartner is then seen in the video putting his gun in a holster on his waist.
The other person was taken to a hospital. No additional details were provided on their condition.
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Planned Parenthood said it is not affiliated with the shooting and has since added private security at the location.
“No one should ever face the threat of violence because they are seeking or providing health care,” Paige Johnson, oresident and CEO of Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, said in a statement on Tuesday. “Gun violence in all its forms is a public health epidemic that threatens the health and safety of our communities. We are tremendously grateful for the outpouring of support from the community, and we appreciate the thorough response of law enforcement in this case. Our doors are open today, and they will stay open to provide the compassionate care that our patients need and deserve.”
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