THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | FRIDAY, MAY 2, 2008

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Note Threatens Shootout

Extra security precautions were taken at Friendship Junior High School in Des Plaines on Apr. 28, officials said, after a note about a shootout that day was found in a restroom.

Angela Burton, deputy chief of the Des Plaines Police Department, said a student found the note taped to the restroom's wall. It was handwritten in pencil and said, "Shootout, 4/28," and a picture of a gun was drawn on it, Burton said.

Police were called, and a team of officers and investigators spent that day and the next at the school, talking to students and teachers. The investigation continued on Wednesday, Burton said.

School was not closed, but parents were notified and about 150 of the students were picked up by their parents and taken home. There are about 650 students in the school, which is located at 550 Elizabeth Lane.

"Other than the note, no problems occurred at the school," Burton said. "We believe tentatively that the note was left by a student."