Aurora police responded to Children's Hospital Colorado after a report that someone planned to enter with a firearm and a bomb. Officers converged on the 1300 block of 16th Avenue just before 5:30 p.m. and arrived within minutes, according to police.
In a statement posted Monday, Aurora Police Dept
said officers responded within minutes of a report that someone intended to enter the hospital armed with a firearm and a bomb. The department's update, posted under the handle @yesmanigomez, opened simply: “Good morning. This is what we have released so far.”
A Pattern of False Alarms at the Same Hospital
This is not the first time Children's Hospital Colorado has been targeted by a hoax caller. In September, a reported shooting and barricade situation at the hospital was also determined to be a swatting call, according to kdvr.com. In that incident, police received reports of a shooting and barricaded subject just before 8:20 a.m. on a Friday, and the hospital initiated lockdown procedures roughly ten minutes later.
Aurora police responded within minutes in that September case alongside the University of Colorado Police Department, the Aurora Fire Department and hospital security, the outlet's report noted. After investigators identified that call as a hoax, Aurora police said they were working with federal authorities to determine next steps. As with Saturday's incident, all patients and staff in the hospital were reported to be safe once the scene was cleared.
A separate, unrelated incident near the same medical campus involved an actual shooting rather than a false report. Police arrested one suspect after a brief pursuit that stayed on the medical campus, following a shooting that happened near Children's Way and Colfax Avenue, according to a report from cbsnews.com. No officers or community members were injured in that incident, and the CU Police Department led the investigation.
What Colorado Law Says About False Reports
Swatting calls carry legal consequences under Colorado statute. A bill summary for SB18-068, posted by the Colorado General Assembly, describes legislation creating a crime of false reporting of an emergency, including a false report to authorities of an imminent threat to a person's safety involving a deadly weapon. The bill became law.
