SC anti-abortion group founder arrested following Planned Parenthood shooting
The founder of an anti-abortion group who shot and wounded a man during a confrontation in front of Planned Parenthood in Columbia has been arrested.
According to records from the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Columbia, Mark Baumgartner was taken into custody Tuesday.
Baumgartner is being charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature and possession of a weapon during a violent crime for the Nov. 14 shooting.
His surety bond was set at $50,000, according to detention center records.
Baumgartner is a fixture outside the Planned Parenthood clinic in Columbia, South Carolina. He founded the anti-abortion group A Moment of Hope over a decade ago the mission of protesting the Columbia Planned Parenthood clinic . There, volunteers and employees of A Moment of Hope dressed in high visibility vests offer what they call “sidewalk counseling” to encourage women not to undergo abortions.
Over the years, A Moment of Hope has grown into a well-organized and well-funded operation. The group surveilles the area around the clinic with hidden cameras, they coordinate on walkie-talkies and take daily tallies of who is going in and out of the clinic. Since 2016, the group has raised at least $1.8 million and in 2023 Baumgartner, as executive director, was paid a salary of more than $110,000, according to tax records.
The shooting took place after Baumgartner was involved in an altercation with a passerby outside the Planned Parenthood clinic on Middleburg Drive in Columbia. According to police incident reports and a video captured by a witness at the scene, Baumgartner first pepper sprayed and then shot the unnamed victim.
The victim, who does not appear to have been affiliated with Planned Parenthood, can be seen in a video the incident approaching Baumgartner with his hands in his pockets while Baumgartner films him. Baumgartner pepper sprayed the victim leading to a chase and a physical struggle between the two men, according to the video.
Two other members of A Moment of Hope rush to Baumgartner’s aid, including a woman holding a gun. The video shows that as the victim breaks free and takes another swing at Baumgautner, the anti-abortion activist shoots him.
Baumgertner’s had a bond hearing at 9 a.m. Tuesday morning, according to court records.
A first appearance hearing has been set for Jan. 30, 2026.
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This story was originally published November 25, 2025 at 12:32 PM.