Charges filed in false reports of school gunman

Michael Gallo | CPD

A Lincoln Park man falsely reported that there was an armed man on the campus of a North Side college this week, prosecutors said. Tuesday’s incident is the second time police responded to bogus calls of an armed man on the Chamberlain University and neighboring DeVry campus since Oct. 30.

Just after 1 p.m. on Nov. 5, police responded to the schools’ shared campus on the 3300 block of North Campbell after a security guard reported receiving a call of a man on campus with a gun, according to police records.

Officers determined that the incident was not bonafide and learned that a man associated with the school was the target of the false gunman report. A similar false report targeted the same employee Oct. 30, according to police records.

Back CWB’s reporting team and we’ll reward you with members-only reports and services all year long. Join HERE for just $49 a year or $5 a month.

Prosecutors charged 51-year-old Michael Gallo of the 1800 block of North Halsted with two felony counts of disorderly conduct – false report of offense.

On Oct. 30, DeVry security received an anonymous call of a man with a gun sitting in a vehicle on the school’s parking lot. The caller gave a vehicle description and license plate number that belong to the same school worker who was later targeted in the Nov. 5 false report.

The schools’ campus went on lockdown for each reported incident.

Gallo and the school employee are neighbors, according to a source.