OLCHS Student Accused Of Posting Shooting Threat On Snapchat

OAK LAWN, IL -- A current student Oak Lawn Community High School was arrested Sunday evening after he allegedly posted a threat on social media to shoot up the school. OLCHS officials sent out several messages informing parents of the threat reportedly made on the social media platform Snapchat. Administrators and Oak Lawn police said the incident has been contained and does not warrant a school closing on Monday.

The juvenile -- a boy -- is in custody and undergoing juvenile screening, Oak Lawn police said. Possible charges and detention are forthcoming.

The message on Snapchat surfaced early Sunday, warning students not to go to school on Monday because “I’m shootin’ that bitch up.” Students were further warned that if they did go to school, they better hide because they would be shot “on sight.”

“When I aim I don’t miss,” the message said.

The Snapshot message was quickly removed but several students took screen shots, which were shared wildly on neighborhood social media. OLCHS officials quickly became aware of the threat and reported it to the Oak Lawn Police Department, who were in contact with the law enforcement division of Snapchat.

In a school email shared with Patch, the assistant principal, Marcus Wargin, asked all parents to talk their students about the “severity of making and posting threatening comments” on social media. Students were encouraged to report any additional information they may have of the incident to a school administrator.

Oak Lawn police offered to have officers on the campus throughout the day on Monday. In an effort to reassure students and parents that the school is safe, the administration has accepted the police department’s offer.

“Please know that school safety continues to be our top priority and we appreciate the students and parents that reached out the school administration earlier today when they learned of the incident,” Wargin said.

It is not known if Sunday’s incident is related to threats made earlier this month on Snapchat of a potential shooting at OLCHS. Those threats turned out to be unfounded.