Nancy Kerrigan remembers officer killed at Planned Parenthood clinic
Former figure skating champion Nancy Kerrigan remembers the Colorado police officer who was killed in a shooting at a Planned Parenthood clinic as loyal, caring and a true friend.
She told media outlets that 44-year-old University of Colorado police officer Garrett Swasey, was "one of my best friends" as they grew up together practicing figure skating in Melrose, Massachusetts.
Before he became a police officer, Swasey was a junior national couples ice dancing champion.
An emotional Kerrigan says she wasn't surprised he took a career path where he helped others first. She says he always had fun and did everything with a smile.
Swasey, who was married with two children, moved to Colorado in the 1980s to pursue competitive figure skating, his father told the Boston Globe. He became a police officer six years ago, around the time his daughter was born, 73-year-old David Swasey said.
"He was a great dad," Swasey told the newspaper. "I mean, a super dad. Everybody in the police department loved him. Anybody who ever met him loved him. He was a great guy, a great person."
Swasey was also a co-pastor at Hope Chapel, an evangelical church in Colorado Springs.
His widow, Rachel Swasey, released a statement Sunday that said her husband's "last act was for the safety and well-being of others." She said the family will cherish memories of him tossing the football with his son and snuggling with his daughter.
At the University of Colorado, Swasey was known for going out of his way to help, including recently stopping to help someone in a serious car accident just off campus even though he was off duty and headed home, Lt. Marc Pino said.
Pino also recalled that Swasey was disappointed he wasn't more involved with responding to a wildfire that destroyed over 340 homes and killed two people in 2012.
"Garrett was always that person who was wanting to be the first one there helping people out," he said.
Video obtained by CBS Affiliate KKTV shows a police officer, believed to be Swasey, bravely approaching the Planned Parenthood clinic shortly before he was killed. In the video, Swasey heads directly toward the north side of the building as other officers are under fire.
To watch KKTV's report click on the player below.