A 16-year-old allegedly gave threats to shoot up Hinsdale South High School and to another student on Monday, leading him to eight felony charges. DuPage County State's Attorney's Office confirmed that the threats were made online.
A student alerted officials to a Snapchat post showing the alleged threats against a specific student, ABC7 reports. The teen had also reportedly promised to shoot up the school, and actually giving it a term, which is 'Southocaust'. "Without this young man coming forward to report this, we might very well have never heard about this," said Darien Police Commander Gerry Piccoli.
The eight felonies charged to the teen include "one count of possession of an explosive or incendiary device, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon, three counts of possession of firearms without a FOID card and two counts of disorderly conduct,", Darien Police said. The reasons behind the behavior of the teen is not yet clear as per today.
On Teen Violence
"Teen violence refers to harmful behaviors that can start early and continue into young adulthood, "says Medicine Plus. Every young person can be an offender, a victim, or a witness to the violence. The CDC gave some of the consequences of teen violence such as the following:
- Depression and anxiety
- Unhealthy behaviors
- Abuse of tobacco, alcohol and drugs
- Involvement in antisocial behaviors
- Self harm and suicide
One high school violence that is hard to forget is that of what happened in Columbine University, Colorado in 1999. A total of 13 people died and 20 were wounded, as per the record in history.com. The two teens turned their guns on themselves as a conclusion of the massacre. If the Darien police did not know the plot of the 16-year old student, perhaps it would be another "Columbine HS" event in history that will crush many hearts.
