Western Illinois University Receives Threat of Campus School Shooting

Western Illinois University (WIU) officials confirmed Wednesday that they received a threat of a campus school shooting via an anonymous note that was left in a payment drop box of an off-campus apartment complex.

The Office of Public Safety (OPS) at Western Illinois University said that there has been no violence on campus yet, but they are investigating the threat.

WIU President Al Goldfarb said that students and faculty who skip classes on Wednesday will not be penalized due to the threat. However, classes were still in session and the campus was not in lockdown late Wednesday morning.

The common areas of campus residential halls, which usually are not locked during the daytime, have been secured so that only key-bearing residents can enter.

A worker for the apartment complex found the threat Wednesday morning. The OPS was alerted of the note around 8:15am CST and by 9:30am, a press release was posted on the WIU Web site.

By 9:45am, the emergency alert system, which sends e-mails and text messages and calls cell phones, was activated.

Police patrol, Illinois State Police, the Macomb Police Department and the McDonough County sheriff's office have increased security at the campus.

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