University of Chicago Cancels All Classes after an Online Security Threat
On November 29th, the University of Chicago was alerted by the FBI about an online threat of gun violence, which led the university to cancel all classes scheduled for the day.
Robert J. Zimmer, President of the University of Chicago, said the university “will have an increased police and security presence on and around campus, including police personnel with visible weapons and other additional measures.” He added, “University security personnel are keeping in close contact with the FBI, which is continuing to investigate the threat.”
In his email, Zimmer had asked all the staff and faculty members who didn’t have any emergency duties or patient care responsibilities to avoid coming to the Hyde Park campus. Students residing on the campus were advised to remain indoors as much as possible.
According to the FBI’s statement, “an unknown individual posted an online threat of gun violence against the University of Chicago, specifically mentioning ‘the campus quad’ on Monday morning at 10 a.m.” By the next day, it become clear that the threat was posted by 21-year old Jabari R. Dean, and he had threatened of killing 16 while male students or staff.
On November 30th, the US attorney’s office in Chicago released a criminal complaint against Dean; according to the complaint, Dean had admitted about posing the online threat and taking it down shortly afterwards.
Zimmer said the university decided to cancel the classes given the recent events at other campuses in the country. On October 1, a gunman had killed nine people in Oregon. There also have been shooting incidents in Tennessee and Arizona.
According to a report by LA Times, that the US has had 353 mass shootings this year alone. This includes the deadly San Bernardino shooting, which claimed 14 lives.
Clearly, mass shootings remain a real ongoing threat in the United States. In these times, private security can provide the much needed reassurance for you and your business.
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