DENVER — A false emergency call was used to distract University of Denver safety officials and Denver police from an "act of significant vandalism" Sunday night, Campus Safety Chief Michael Bunker said in a letter to the DU community.
Bunker said a call was placed to Campus Safety from a blue light phone "falsely indicating that someone had been shot." Campus Safety personnel and officers with the Denver Police Department responded to another location while the engineering and computer science building was vandalized.
A photo attached to the letter shows red paint thrown across the building's entrance. At least one message, which reads "F—k Lockheed Martin," was left on the brick walkway outside the entrance. The markings were removed early Monday morning, according to DU officials.
The false emergency call "[tied] up valuable resources unnecessarily, creating a potentially dangerous situation for anyone with a real emergency," Bunker said in his letter.
"Making a false report could result in criminal charges," Bunker said. "These actions run counter to DU’s core values, and we have no tolerance for such behavior."
Bunker is asking anyone with information about the fake emergency call or vandalism to contact Campus Safety at 303-871-2334 or submit an online report. Tipsters can remain anonymous.
DU officials said they aren't sure if the vandalism is connected to the encampment that is currently occupying a portion of the campus. Members of DU for Palestine began occupying the space outside the university’s administrative building on Carnegie Green on May 9.
Summer classes and programs are continuing as scheduled, according to the university. Many of those classes are hybrid, DU told Denver7.
