Garrett Swasey

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Garrett Swasey
Garrett Swasey.jpg
Personal information
Birth name Garrett Preston Russell Swasey
Nationality American
Born (1971-11-16)November 16, 1971
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Died Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist.
Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States
Residence Colorado
Education Melrose High School
Occupation Figure skater
Ice dance coach
Law enforcement officer
Employer Plaza of the Rockies ice rink
Chapel Hills Mall ice arena
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Spouse(s) Rachel Aguilar
Sport
Sport Figure skating
Ice dancing
Club Broadmoor Skating Club
Partner Christine Fowler-Binder
Hillary Tompkins
Coached by Sandy Hess
Renée Roca
Gorsha Sur
Achievements and titles
National finals

Garrett Preston Russell Swasey (November 16, 1971 – November 27, 2015) was an American competitive ice skater, a figure skating coach, and a police officer. As an ice dancer, he won the 1992 U.S. junior ice dance title at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and went on to participate twice more at the senior level. Swasey was shot and killed in the line of duty during the Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood shooting in 2015.

Early life and education

Swasey was born in Boston and grew up in Melrose, Massachusetts.[4] He graduated from Melrose High School (1989) in the same class as future Melrose Mayor Robert J. Dolan.[5]

Career

Swasey began skating competitively as a youngster in the Boston area under coach Keith Lichtman.[6] One of his closest childhood friends and training mates was Nancy Kerrigan, who later became a two-time Olympic medalist in ladies singles.[7][8] Swasey competed with three ice dance partners in his skating career.

With Christine Fowler, he first participated in the 1991 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.[9] They placed 14th in the juniors,[10] prompting them to seek a coaching change.[11] In June of the same year, they moved to Colorado Springs to train with Sandy Hess, a prominent ice dance coach, and the Broadmoor Skating Club.[12][13][14] Assisting Hess as coaches were Renée Roca and Gorsha Sur, who together would become two-time U.S. ice dance champions.[12]

The following season, Fowler and Swasey won the junior ice dance title at the 1992 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Orlando.[2][1] They won a gold medal after they placed third in the compulsory section and advanced to first place after their original and free dances.[15]

In 1993, Fowler and Swasey were mentioned by the Boston Globe among the Olympic hopefuls.[16] However, at the 1993 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, their first event as seniors, they finished 15th in a field of 21. Their coaches, Roca and Sur, won the event after coming out of retirement. Swasey did not participate in the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

In February 1995, Swasey and his new ice dance partner, Hillary Tompkins, competed in the 1995 U.S. Figure Skating Championships and placed 13th.[17][3] On March 11, the team worked on two Musical on Ice shows at the Forum in Presque Isle, Maine, the hometown of Tompkins.[3][18]

Subsequently, Swasey worked at the Plaza of the Rockies and the Chapel Hills Mall ice rinks.[12] In 2009 he became a University of Colorado Colorado Springs police officer. Alongside, he coached with British ice dance champion and World Figure Skating Hall of Fame member, Doreen Denny, at the Serich Ice Center until his death.[19]

Results
National
Event 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995
U.S. Championships 14th J. 1st J. 15th - 13th

Death and funeral

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See also: Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood shooting

Swasey was shot dead in the line of duty on November 27, 2015 during a mass shooting at a local Planned Parenthood clinic.[20] He was 44 years old.[21][22]

Following Swasey's death, President Barack Obama praised Swasey with "May God bless Officer Garrett Swasey and the Americans he tried to save."[23][24][25] Swasey's former schoolmate, Melrose's Mayor Dolan, stated at a press conference that, "He made a real mark on the people that he met in this small town. He was so dedicated to his church and his community."[5]

The funeral, with thousands in attendance, took place on December 4 and was streamed live.[26][27] Speakers included Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers and University of Colorado Colorado Springs Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak.[28][29][30]

On May 11, 2016 the murderer of Swasey, Robert Dear, was found to be incompetent to stand for trial.[31]

Personal life

At the time of his death, Swasey was married to Rachel (née Aguilar) and was the father of two young children.[32][33] He was an elder at his church in Colorado Springs.[34][35]

References

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  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2016/05/11/planned-parenthood-shooting-suspect-found-not-competent-stand-trial/84243964/
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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