Florida man who killed abortion doctor due at parole

TALLAHASSEE, Florida - The Associated Press

A Florida man who killed an abortion doctor in 1993 will appear before the state’s parole board on Nov. 1.

Dr. David Gunn was shot to death on March 10, 1993, outside an abortion clinic in Pensacola, Florida, becoming the first U.S. doctor killed during an anti-abortion demonstration.

Michael Griffin was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison in Gunn’s death. He is serving his sentence at Blackwater River Correctional Facility in Milton.

Gunn was shot as he arrived to perform abortions at the clinic while abortion opponents were holding a demonstration.

One of the few doctors in the South who performed abortions at the time, Gunn worked at clinics in Montgomery, Alabama, and Columbus, Georgia, when he wasn’t in Pensacola. He commuted to work from his home in Eufaula, Alabama.