Former Army specialist Ke’Arre M. Stewart died Friday in the shooting at a Colorado Planned Parenthood Clinic, along with a police officer and a woman from Hawaii. Stewart’s death was confirmed by Amburh Butler, a staff sergeant in the Army and a friend of Stewart’s since middle school.
He served in the 4th Infantry Division and completed a tour in Iraq in 2005. He had two daughters, one age 11 and another 4 or 5, Butler said.
Relatives of the woman, Jennifer Markovsky, 36, confirmed her death in a report by Hawaii News Now. She was from Waianae, Oahu, where her family still lives, and graduated from Waianae High School in 1997, according to her Facebook page, which also said she worked for Kmart for 13 years until 2013.
In a Facebook post, her father, John Ah-King, wrote, “To my daughter Jennifer I’m going to miss so much, I lost you in a senseless shooting in Colorado Springs.”
The University of Colorado police officer who died has been remembered with laughs and cheers at the church where he was a co-pastor.
Parishioners at the nondenominational Hope Chapel remembered 44-year-old Garrett Swasey on Sunday as a trusted partner in prayer and a champion athlete.
Swasey’s widow, Rachel Swasey, said in a statement Sunday that “his last act was for the safety and well-being of others.” She says the family will cherish memories of him tossing the football with his son and snuggling with his daughter.
The community also honored Garrett Swasey at two vigils Saturday.
By wire sources