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Juvenile in custody after threatening message found at Aurora high school
A threatening message found on the campus of a suburban Chicago high school prompted an increase police presence Wednesday.
AURORA, Ill. - A student is now charged with disorderly conduct after police say they were behind a threat of violence towards West Aurora High School.
The threat was scribbled on a bathroom wall at the school — "Get Ready, West on 10-12-2022 I'm killing."
"As soon as it hits the social media sphere, it catches fire and people grab it," said District 139 Superintendent Jeff Craig.
The threatening message first circulated Snapchat and Facebook for hours, before police and District 139 leaders were notified.
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"Taking a picture of it and reporting it to law enforcement helps us greatly," said Aurora Police Department Investigator David Guevara. "Sharing it on social media before contacting law enforcement just slows down the investigation."
Police searched the school Tuesday night and found the message inside a bathroom.
"This is a process of interviewing witnesses, reviewing footage that could indicate and identify a possible suspect," said Guevara, who added they increased their presence during school hours Wednesday as a precaution.
Superintendent Craig reminds students, staff and parents that they take every threat seriously, and he wants kids to build trust with adults instead of just sharing information on social media.
"I think it’s super important that a kid finds that one trusted adult whether it’s custodian, bus driver, lunch server — get that information to an adult so they can get it to the right spot so we can act on it," said Craig.