(Newswire.net — November 30, 2015) –Chicago, Ill. – The University of Chicago was closed Monday because the officials took an on-line threat very seriously. According to the Chicago Tribune, the FBI has arrested a student from a different school who allegedly wrote the threatening comment that led to the university’s lockdown.
The Chicago Tribune cited a Police source saying a person from New York alerted the police after reading a comment on a Worthstarhiphop.com of a person that warned he planned to kill 16 students on the University of Chicago campus on Monday.
“This is my only warning. At 10 AM Monday morning, I’m going to the campus quad of the University of Chicago. I will be armed with an M-4 carbine and two desert eagles, all fully loaded. I will execute approximately 16 white male students and or staff, which is the same number of time McDonald was killed.” The Tribune cited the police report, adding that the comment was signed with initials “JRD” and the Chicago Bulls logo.
According the police report obtained by Chicago Tribune, the comment ends with a serious warning saying, “This is not a joke…. I am to do my part and rid the world of white devils. I expect you do the same.” The poster continued by adding he was prepared to die “killing any number of white policeman in the process.”
FBI informed the Chicago University officials late Sunday evening about the threat, which led to lock down of the University. The officials asked students to stay of the campus on Monday morning. Despite the serious warning and the bitter experience with several campus shootings, some commented that the lockdown was over reacting.
“I am extremely disappointed in the criticism of this decision {lockdown} without any more information than has been provided,” Facebook user Elizabeth Harding wrote, adding that it is serious threat because FBI was involved.
Last week the Western Washington University cancel classes after “hate speech” threat, the CNN reported.
While impressed how fast authorities reacted and arrested the student allegedly behind the threat, the event once again raises questions, according to some students,about the general availibility of assault style weapons:
“Guns are too readily available to those who intend to use them to harm others, and I believe the city of Chicago, the state of Illinois and the nation need to take more drastic measures to prevent guns falling into the hands of those who plan to use them to harm others,” said University of Chicago student Spencer Douglas. He added that he at first felt fear because he fits the white and male description of the victims intended by the shooter. However, later he felt a mixture of sympathy and disappointment.
“I felt sympathy for those in the communities surrounding the University that constantly live in fear of gun violence because they happen live on a certain block or fit into a certain description. I was disappointed, however, that the poster had decided to take action in such a violent way,” Douglas said, adding that the deaths of Laquan McDonald and others like him is a tragedy but more violence can not contributie to a positive change.