Garrett Preston Russell Swasey (November 16, 1971 – November 27, 2015) was an American competitive

ice skater Ice skating is the self-propulsion and gliding of a person across an ice surface, using metal-bladed ice skates. People skate for various reasons, including recreation (fun), exercise, competitive sports, and commuting. Ice skating may be perfo ...

figure skating Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are me ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

, and

police officer A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...

. As an ice dancer, he won the 1992 U.S. junior ice dance title at the

U.S. Figure Skating Championships The U.S. Figure Skating Championships is a figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of the United States. The competition is sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating. In the U.S. skating community, the event is ofte ...

and went on to participate twice more at the senior level. He coached along with Doreen Denny. Swasey was shot and killed in the line of duty during the

Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood shooting On November 27, 2015, a mass shooting occurred in a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, Colorado, resulting in the deaths of three people and injuries to nine. A police officer and two civilians were killed; five police officers and ...

in 2015.

Skating career

Swasey began skating competitively as a youngster in the Boston area under coach Keith Lichtman. One of his closest childhood friends and training mates was

Nancy Kerrigan Nancy Ann Kerrigan (born October 13, 1969) is an American figure skating, figure skater and actress. She won bronze medals at the 1991 World Figure Skating Championships, 1991 World Championships and the Figure skating at the 1992 Winter Olympic ...

, who later became a two-time Olympic medalist in ladies singles. 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. They placed 14th in the juniors, prompting them to seek a coaching change. In June of the same year, they moved to

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

to train with Sandy Hess, a prominent ice dance coach, and the

Broadmoor Skating Club The Broadmoor Skating Club is a figure skating club based in Colorado Springs, Colorado that has long been a major training center for the sport of figure skating. Founded in 1939, it was originally known as the Pikes Peak Skating Club, and was ...

. Assisting Hess as coaches were

Renée Roca Renée Roca (born May 18, 1963) is an American ice dancer and choreographer. She is a three-time U.S. national champion with different partners. Competing with partner Donald Adair, she is the 1986 U.S. national champion. She later teamed up wi ...

and

Gorsha Sur Georgi "Gorsha" Sur (born January 1, 1967) is a former ice dancer who represented the United States and the Soviet Union. With Svetlana Liapina for the Soviet Union, he is a two-time World Junior medalist. With Renée Roca for the U.S., he is a ...

, who together would become two-time U.S. ice dance champions. The following season, Fowler and Swasey won the junior ice dance title at the 1992 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Orlando. They won a gold medal after they placed third in the compulsory section and advanced to first place after their original and free dances. In 1993, Fowler and Swasey were mentioned by the

Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

among the

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

hopefuls. However, at the

1993 U.S. Figure Skating Championships The 1993 U.S. Figure Skating Championships was held in Phoenix, Arizona. Medals were awarded in four colors: gold (first), silver (second), bronze (third), and pewter (fourth) in four disciplines – single skating, men's singles, ladies' singles ...

, 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 The 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships were held at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. Medals were awarded in four colors: gold (first), silver (second), bronze (third), and pewter (fourth) in four disciplines – men's singles, ladie ...

. In February 1995, Swasey and his new ice dance partner, Hillary Tompkins, competed in the 1995 U.S. Figure Skating Championships and placed 13th. On March 11, the team worked on two ''Musical on Ice'' shows at the Forum in

Presque Isle, Maine Presque Isle is the commercial center and largest city in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 8,797 at the 2020 Census. The city is home to the University of Maine at Presque Isle, Northern Maine Community College, Husso ...

, the hometown of Tompkins. Subsequently, Swasey worked at the Plaza of the Rockies and the Chapel Hills Mall ice rinks. In 2009 he became a

University of Colorado Colorado Springs The University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) is a public research university in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is one of four campuses that make up the University of Colorado system. As of Fall 2017, UCCS had over 12,400 undergraduate an ...

police officer. Alongside, he coached with British ice dance champion and World Figure Skating Hall of Fame member, Doreen Denny, at the Sertich Ice Center until his death.

Major competitions

Life, death and legacy

Early and personal life

Swasey was born in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

and grew up in

Melrose, Massachusetts Melrose is a city located in the Greater Boston metropolitan area in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Its population, per the 2020 United States Census, is 29,817. It is a suburb located approximately seven miles north of Boston. I ...

. He graduated from Melrose High School (1989) in the same class as future Melrose Mayor Robert J. Dolan. At the time of his death, Swasey was married to Rachel (''née'' Aguilar) and was the father of two young children. He was an elder at his church in Colorado Springs.

Death and funeral

Swasey was shot dead in the line of duty on November 27, 2015, during a mass shooting at a local

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is a nonprofit organization that provides reproductive health care in the United States and globally. It is a tax-exempt corporation under Internal Reve ...

clinic. He was 44 years old. Following Swasey's death, President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

praised Swasey with "May God bless Officer Garrett Swasey and the Americans he tried to save." 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." The funeral, with thousands in attendance, took place on December 4 and was streamed live. Speakers included Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers and University of Colorado Colorado Springs Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak.

Aftermath and legacy

On April 15, 2016, almost five months after Swasey was killed, his oath as a

Deputy Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

was notarized, raising questions on procedures of the El Paso County Police Department. The murderer of Swasey, Robert Dear, was found to be incompetent to stand for a trial in May 2016, May 2017, and July 2018.

U.S. Figure Skating U.S. Figure Skating is the national governing body for the sport of figure skating in the United States. It is recognized as such by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee "USOPC" under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act an ...

, at the initiative of

, named the Garrett Swasey Memorial Trophy for the juvenile dance competition champions at the

Midwestern Sectional Figure Skating Championships The Midwestern Sectional Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating. Skaters compete in five levels: Senior, Junior, Novice, Intermediate, and Juvenile. Medals are awarded in four disci ...

. First winners of the trophy were Elliana and Ethan Peal. Garrett's widow, Rachel Swasey, lobbied to create a fund for fallen first responders. A bill unanimously passed the Colorado House of Representatives in May 2018. Donors organized to give protective gear to the UCCS Police Department following Swasey's death.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swasey, Garrett 1971 births 2015 deaths 2015 murders in the United States American evangelicals American figure skating coaches American male ice dancers American police officers killed in the line of duty American Protestant ministers and clergy Deaths by firearm in Colorado Male murder victims Figure skaters from Colorado Springs, Colorado Sportspeople from Melrose, Massachusetts People murdered in Colorado Victims of anti-abortion violence in the United States American school police officers