Man with handgun who forced way into Children's Hospital now facing federal charges

A grand jury has indicted 27-year-old Jeremy Tate on federal weapons charges after investigators determined the handgun he recently carried into Children's Hospital in Aurora was illegally modified to perform like a machine gun.

Tate forced his way through three sets of doors of an employee entrance at 12:20 a.m. on September 24, reportedly seeking treatment for a minor finger injury.

Tate was taken into custody by University of Colorado Anschutz Campus police officers in the hospital's front lobby. He was handed over to the Aurora Police Department which saw to treatment of Tate's finger injury at a different hospital before booking him into jail.

A federal grand jury handed down its indictment Wednesday, recommending two charges - Possession of a firearm and ammunition in and affecting interstate and foreign commerce and Possession of a machine gun.

In court documents, Aurora officers noted Tate's pistol, a .40 caliber Glock, "to have what appeared to be an auto-convertor switch affixed to the rear of the pistol which would allow the firearm to operate in a fully automatic capacity."

The gun also had a high-capacity, 22-round magazine attached. Seventeen rounds were loaded.

An FBI investigator took the weapon to a firing range and, with one pull of the trigger, emptied the entire magazine "in a matter of seconds."

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The Children's Hospital nurse who first called 9-1-1 told investigators Tate was running toward the front security desk in the lobby with the handgun in his hand. However, officers reviewed the hospital's security video and described him as walking. 

Tate was talking on a cell phone in front of the hospital's security desk when the campus officers approached him. They found the gun, according to court documents, in Tate's waistband. 

Tate was convicted of felony theft in 2017 and sentenced to two years in the Illinois prison system, making it unlawful for him to own a firearm in Colorado. 

A Special Agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives opined that the weapon was not manufactured in Colorado. 

Tate was arraigned Thursday, the day after the grand jury's indictment. No future court hearings are currently scheduled.