Project LPPPA Notable Incident Reports

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The KANSAS COALITION FOR LIFE, Project Love, Prayer, and Persistent Political Action

5575 South Mosley Street, Wichita, KS 67216-3631 PHONE: (316) 522-8866 FAX: (316) 522-8833

INCIDENT REPORT: Mark S. Gietzen

Thursday, November 21, 2013
Shift Start:	Shift End:
8:00 AM	9:15 AM

This morning, at about 8:40 am, a young man in his 20's, alone in a white pick-up truck which had gone into the abortion facility less than a half hour earlier with a female passenger, stopped at the gate of the South Wind Abortion Facility, and rolled down his window to accept some printed literature.

The young man briefly looked at the printed material, which offers help to anyone considering an abortion, and then revealed to me that his child was about to be killed this morning, and that there was nothing he could do to change 'her' [the mother's] mind! He seemed nervous and troubled.

I tried to convince him to go back into the abortion facility to save his child’s life, by persuading the mother not to go through with the abortion. He confirmed that he was the child’s father, but he said it would not work, [to go back in] because she [the mother] has all the rights.

I wanted him to let her know that we would help them with anything that they needed, and that their child did not have to die. However, when I said to him: "Once the abortion happens, it is permanent! For the rest of your life, you will never be able to undo this abortion! You have to act now or never!" - or words to that effect, the man became angry with me and stated that he had a gun!

In an unexpected explosion of emotion, he yelled: "Step away from my vehicle or I will shoot you!" I took a step back, leaving plenty of room for him to drive off, and told him that he is free to go any time, and that he did not even have to stop in the first place. A second time, the young man threatened me saying: "I am going to kill you!" He rapidly undid his seatbelt, and made movements that I thought were to reach his gun.

When he opened his door and stepped onto the driveway and sidewalk, I assumed that his firearm was behind the seat of the vehicle, and that he had to lean the seat forward to get it. I did not turn my back to him, remaining near the vehicle intending to wrestle the firearm away from him the minute it was presented.

However, the young man lunged directly at me, but with no gun in sight. Just then, the South Wind Security Guard, Carl Swinney, came running onto the scene and yelled at the man to get back in his vehicle! However, the man kept coming at me, and without hesitation, Carl attacked him from behind, locking both of his arms around the young man's arms and torso, and lifted him off the ground in a full-body hug.

Carl turned and carried him back, two or three steps to his vehicle. Once back inside of the vehicle, the young man left northbound on Bleckley Street without saying anything more.

I called 911 and the police responded with three cars in a few short minutes.

Margaret Mans, who showed up on site as the incident was happening, helped the police by finding the vehicle which had been logged into the vehicle log. However, the police did not have to search long for him. While the police were checking the South Wind Security Cameras, the man returned to the Abortion Facility, and one of the police officers met him at his vehicle’s doors as he parked.

Wichita Police Officer G. R. Morris later issued a case number: 13C77676. I never saw a gun, and thanks to Carl, no physical contact occurred between the distraught father and me. At this time, it is not known if the man was arrested or not.