Jeremy Lavon Tate, Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition, Colorado 2022

DENVER – Jeremy Lavon Tate, 29, of Aurora, Colorado, will spend the next 33 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The sentence, handed down Monday, stems from a terrifying incident last September where Tate brazenly walked into Children’s Hospital in Adams County carrying a loaded handgun illegally modified to function as a fully automatic weapon.

According to court documents, on September 24, 2022, Tate didn’t just enter the hospital – he openly displayed the .40-caliber handgun while walking through a hallway. Witnesses reported he even forced his way through a set of doors designated for employees only. The weapon was equipped with a laser sight and, crucially, a “convertor switch” – a device that transforms a semi-automatic pistol into a machine gun. The potential for carnage was immense.

Thankfully, quick action prevented a potential massacre. A sergeant with the University of Colorado Medical Campus Police Department intervened, disarming Tate before a hospital security officer was able to detain him. Aurora Police Department officers then arrived to place Tate under arrest. The scene inside the children’s hospital was chaotic, and the immediate threat neutralized only by the bravery of those first responders.

“The swift, courageous actions of brave law enforcement officers and hospital security staff prevented a possible catastrophe from unfolding inside Children’s Hospital,” stated U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan. While acknowledging the heroism of those involved, the statement rings hollow without addressing the underlying factors that allowed a convicted felon to stroll into a hospital with a weapon capable of mass destruction.

ATF Special Agent in Charge Brent Beavers emphasized the danger posed by illegal conversion devices. “Machine gun conversion devices convert a semi-automatic firearm into a fully automatic firearm, increasing its potential for devastation in our communities and for law enforcement,” he said. The case highlights the growing problem of these readily available, and often cheaply made, devices turning ordinary handguns into instruments of extreme violence.

Tate will also serve 3 years of supervised release following his prison term. The investigation was a joint effort by the ATF and the Aurora Police Department, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Dunn prosecuting the case. Case Number: 22-cr-301-WJM. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the ever-present threat of gun violence, even within the supposedly safe walls of a children’s hospital.

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