Crime & Courts

Watch the video of the shooting at Planned Parenthood Columbia

On Nov. 14, a confrontation at South Carolina’s only Planned Parenthood clinic turned violent when a person who eyewitnesses identified as an anti-abortion protester shot another man.

The shooting involving an individual who has been identified as Mark Baumgartner, the founder of anti-abortion group A Moment of Hope, was captured on video.

While law enforcement have not named Baumgartner, several people familiar with him along with a witness at the scene identified him in the video. Baumgartner did not respond to multiple requests for comment The victim’s name has also not been released and was redacted from the police incident report. He is believed to have been a passerby and police have said there was no connection to Planned Parenthood. Shortly after the shooting, police said the victim had been taken to the hospital and was in stable condition.

Baumgartner and his organization have maintained a presence in front of the Planned Parenthood clinic for more than a decade.

A spokesperson for the Columbia Police Department told The State Wednesday that they had not made a determination about whether anyone will be charged.

What does the video show?

The nearly two-minute long footage, begins as the unnamed victim of the shooting approaches a man in a vest, who can be seen filming with his cellphone. This victim has his hands in his pockets stands face to face with the man and asks, “you record people who care about women?”

During an altercation near the Columbia Planned Parenthood, on Friday Nov. 14, 2025, witnesses identified Mark Baumgartner with A Moment of Hope, pepper-sprays a man, fights with him, and later shoots him as seen in a video. Friday, Nov. 14, 2025.
During an altercation near the Columbia Planned Parenthood, on Friday Nov. 14, 2025, witnesses identified Mark Baumgartner with A Moment of Hope, pepper-sprays a man, fights with him, and later shoots him as seen in a video. Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. Contributed stills from video

Suddenly, the man in the vest sprays the other man with what the Columbia Police Department identifies in their incident report as pepper spray.

The man briefly points the pepper spray at the woman filming the video before the victim starts chasing him, trying to grab the pepper spray and throwing punches.

The two tumble to the ground as two people, including a woman wearing the high visibility vest of A Moment of Hope member, rush after them. The woman appears to have a gun drawn.

During an altercation near the Columbia Planned Parenthood, eyewitnesses identified Mark Baumgartner with A Moment of Hope, and another person with a gun, fights with a man. Baumgartner later shot the man, as seen in a video. Friday, Nov. 14, 2025.
During an altercation near the Columbia Planned Parenthood, eyewitnesses identified Mark Baumgartner with A Moment of Hope, and another person with a gun, fights with a man. Baumgartner later shot the man, as seen in a video. Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. Contributed image from video

One of the bystanders separates the two men, putting the man who was pepper sprayed in a headlock. As he slips free but is still on his knees, the man identified by witnesses as Baumgartner can be seen fumbling at his hip.

He yells “freeze! freeze!”

As the man swings at the man in a vest, a shot can be heard, and he falls to the ground.

“Did you just f-----g shoot me?” The man asks.

“I sure did,” the shooter responded.

When the victim pulls out his phone, the shooter makes an unsuccessful swipe to grab it.

As the victim stands, the shooter keeps the gun trained on him, warning him to “back off.”

Holding the phone to his ear, the victim can be heard to say, “I’ve been pepper sprayed and shot.”

This story was originally published November 20, 2025 at 7:54 AM.

Ted Clifford
The State
Ted Clifford is the statewide accountability reporter at The State Newspaper. Formerly the crime and courts reporter, he has covered the Murdaugh saga, state and federal court, as well as criminal justice and public safety in the Midlands and across South Carolina. He is the recipient of the 2023 award for best beat reporting by the South Carolina Press Association.
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