FORT COLLINS, Colo. — A Catholic church in Fort Collins was vandalized early Saturday morning, and police are investigating it as a “bias-motivated crime.”
Around 1:15 a.m. on May 7, someone spray painted the front doors and broke exterior glass panels of Saint John XXIII Catholic Church at 1220 University Ave., according to Fort Collins Police Services.
Officers responded about 15 minutes later and conducted a search of the building with a K9. The inside of the church was not damaged, and no one was located inside.
FCPS said it’s investigating the vandalism as bias-motivated because of the “location and nature of the graffiti content.” Further details on the graffiti were not provided."Using fear and destruction to make a point is completely unacceptable. If you want to make your voice heard, do it by exchanging thoughts and ideas, not by committing criminal acts," Fort Collins Police Chief Jeff Swoboda said.
The incident comes less than one week after Sacred Heart of Mary Church in Boulder was vandalized. One churchgoer said he believed the vandalism occurred because of the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that shows a majority of the justices are poised to overturn the 1973 case Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion nationwide.
It’s not clear if the incident in Fort Collins happened because of the same motivations.
Anyone with information about the suspect or incident is asked to contact Officer Ethan Van Sickle at 970-221-6555 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers of Larimer county online or by calling 970-221-6868.
