Doctor Shot and Killed in Church After Years of Anti-Abortion Protests

Strategic Insights -

Dr. George Tiller, one of the nation's few providers of late-term abortions, was shot and killed in the foyer of Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kansas, where he was serving as an usher. The gunman fled, but a 51-year-old suspect, identified as Scott Roeder, was detained 170 miles away in suburban Kansas City three hours after the shooting. Tiller's family called the slaying an "unspeakable tragedy," saying it was particularly heart-wrenching because he was shot in his house of worship. The doctor's death is the latest in a string of shootings and bombings over two decades directed against abortion clinics, doctors, and staff.

Key Takeaways:

  • Dr. George Tiller, 67, was shot and killed in the foyer of Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kansas, while serving as an usher.
  • The suspect, Scott Roeder, 51, was detained 170 miles away in suburban Kansas City three hours after the shooting.
  • Tiller's family described the slaying as an "unspeakable tragedy" and stated that he was shot down in his "house of worship, a place of peace."
  • The Doctor's death is the latest in a string of shootings and bombings over two decades directed against abortion clinics, doctors, and staff.
  • Tiller's Women's Health Care Services clinic is one of only three in the nation where abortions are performed after the 21st week of pregnancy.
  • The clinic was heavily fortified, and Tiller often traveled with a bodyguard, but there was no indication of security at the church on the day of the shooting.
  • Anti-abortion groups, including Operation Rescue, denounced the shooting and stressed that they support only nonviolent protest.
  • President Barack Obama condemned the murder, stating that "profound differences" over abortion "cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence."
  • The clinic had faced violence in the past, including a 1993 shooting and a 1985 bombing.
  • Dr. Tiller had asked federal prosecutors to investigate threats against the clinic, citing increased vandalism and threats.

Statistics:

  • Dr. George Tiller, 67, was shot and killed on Sunday, May [no date specified].
  • 170 miles: the distance between the church where Tiller was shot and where Scott Roeder was detained in suburban Kansas City.
  • 51 years: the age of Scott Roeder, the suspect detained in connection with the shooting.
  • 1991: the year protests against Dr. Tiller and his clinic reached a peak, resulting in a summerlong protest.
  • 1985: the year Dr. Tiller's clinic was bombed.
  • 1993: the year Dr. Tiller was shot in both arms.
  • 3: the number of tours by state lawmakers and the media that Dr. Tiller's clinic received in 1997.
  • 10 grandchildren: the number of grandchildren Dr. Tiller left behind.

Sources:

  • "Dr. George Tiller killed in Wichita church shooting" by Roxana Hegeman, The Associated Press, Wichita, Kansas.
  • "Tiller Shot Dead in Church" by The Associated Press, Wichita, Kansas.
  • Operation Rescue, "Operation Rescue's President, Troy Newman, Responds to the Murder of Dr. Tiller" [no date specified].