Crime & Courts

Shots fired into Homer reproductive health clinic

Police in Homer are investigating after someone shot into a building belonging to a local reproductive health care clinic.

The Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic said in a social media post and in an email sent to supporters that “several rounds of ammunition” were fired into the front of its administrative and education building at about 5:45 a.m. Monday morning. No one was in the building at the time, and staff discovered bullets and damage when they arrived for the day, the clinic’s post said.

According to the clinic’s social media post, Homer Police were alerted to gunshots in the area by neighbors early Monday morning, but the post said police were not able to locate the source of the shots or the damage to the building until the clinic’s staff contacted them.

When contacted on Monday evening, a member of the Homer Police Department said police would not be commenting on the ongoing investigation at this time.

At approximately 5:45am this morning someone drove up to Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic’s administrative and...

Posted by Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic on Monday, November 11, 2024

CEO Claudia Haines said bullets were shot through the building’s front wall but missed the windows, which, if broken, would have set off the clinic’s security alarms. Bullets were found in all parts of the building she said, including through the exterior door. The clinic has security camera footage of the incident, Haines said.

According to the clinic, Homer Police are investigating the incident and have asked anyone with information or additional camera footage to contact 907-235-3150. Police spent a lot of time at the scene Monday morning, Haines said.

The clinic, formed in the 1980s, provides reproductive health care, with services including birth control consulting, emergency contraception, cancer screenings, gender-affirming hormone care, pregnancy testing and infertility consultation, according to its website. In addition to clinical services, the organization provides educational outreach for youth and teens. The clinic does not perform abortions. Haines said they offer pregnancy option counseling.

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Haines has been CEO of the clinic for three years, and said that in that time, flags have been vandalized and the clinic experienced verbal threats and “trolling” on social media. But Haines said she isn’t aware of anything like this happening at the clinic before.

“KBFPC staff and board of directors are deeply saddened by this act of violence against our community, particularly those who are targeted in misinformation campaigns and inflammatory political messaging,” the clinic’s social media post reads.

Haines said Kachemak Bay Family Planning is one of four dedicated reproductive health clinics in the state — the other three being Alaska’s Planned Parenthood clinics.

“It’s really significant that one person ... with a weapon can kind of create so much fear within a community and threaten care that is critical to community wellness,” Haines said.

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Megan Pacer

Megan Pacer is a digital audience producer at the Anchorage Daily News. A 2015 graduate of Central Michigan University, she's previously worked as a reporter for the Peninsula Clarion in Kenai and the Homer News, and as a digital producer for Alaska's News Source in Anchorage. Contact her at mpacer@adn.com.

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