SC anti-abortion group founder hires Cola attorney after shooting arrest
The founder of an anti-abortion group who shot and wounded a man during a confrontation in front of an abortion clinic has hired an attorney.
Mark Baumgartner has hired Margaret N. Fox of Griffin Humphries to represent him in a case where he’s accused of shooting and injuring a man in front of a Columbia Planned Parenthood facility last November. Baumgartner was originally representing himself before securing Fox on Wednesday, according to court records.
Fox was not immediately available for a comment.
Baumgartner, founder of the anti-abortion group A Moment of Hope, was arrested on Nov. 25, 2025, and charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
Warrants obtained by The State describe Baumgartner as shooting an unidentified victim in the “stomach area” during an altercation.
Baumgartner, who was a fixture outside the Planned Parenthood clinic in Columbia, founded A Moment of Hope over a decade ago with 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 surveils 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, according to previous reporting. 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.
Baumgartner has a first appearance scheduled for Jan. 30 at the Richland County Courthouse. However, because he’s retained Fox, he is not required to attend, under South Carolina law.
