Chicago Police Say Classmate Allegedly Pointed Fake Rifle at Student During Prank at Moody Bible Institute
A disturbing incident unfolded last week at the Moody Bible Institute on Chicago's Near North Side, leaving one student shaken and another facing charges. According to police reports, an 18-year-old student was "begging for his life" after a classmate allegedly pointed a fake rifle at him in a prank.
The victim had just left his dorm room around 6:30 p.m. on January 22 when he noticed Joshua Losey, another 18-year-old student and classmate, dressed in all black with a ski mask on, police said. Losey then allegedly pointed a replica firearm at the victim, gesturing for him to get down on his knees.
The victim reportedly exclaimed, "Please don't shoot me, I am unarmed," as he tried to reason with the classmate. After the encounter, the student warned friends and the front desk about a possible active shooter, which prompted authorities to respond to the scene.
A witness later spoke with responding officers and provided video footage of Losey walking around with the replica rifle, according to police reports. The fake firearm was subsequently found in a suitcase in Losey's dorm room, while the ski mask was on his desk.
Losey was arrested near his dorm room on the 15th floor, and further investigation determined that the firearm was indeed a replica, police said.
As of Thursday, Joshua Losey was scheduled to appear in court in Skokie, facing charges of aggravated assault with a replica firearm and disorderly conduct with the threat of violence, death, or bodily harm at school. The incident highlights the importance of responsible behavior on college campuses and the potential consequences of such actions.
A disturbing incident unfolded last week at the Moody Bible Institute on Chicago's Near North Side, leaving one student shaken and another facing charges. According to police reports, an 18-year-old student was "begging for his life" after a classmate allegedly pointed a fake rifle at him in a prank.
The victim had just left his dorm room around 6:30 p.m. on January 22 when he noticed Joshua Losey, another 18-year-old student and classmate, dressed in all black with a ski mask on, police said. Losey then allegedly pointed a replica firearm at the victim, gesturing for him to get down on his knees.
The victim reportedly exclaimed, "Please don't shoot me, I am unarmed," as he tried to reason with the classmate. After the encounter, the student warned friends and the front desk about a possible active shooter, which prompted authorities to respond to the scene.
A witness later spoke with responding officers and provided video footage of Losey walking around with the replica rifle, according to police reports. The fake firearm was subsequently found in a suitcase in Losey's dorm room, while the ski mask was on his desk.
Losey was arrested near his dorm room on the 15th floor, and further investigation determined that the firearm was indeed a replica, police said.
As of Thursday, Joshua Losey was scheduled to appear in court in Skokie, facing charges of aggravated assault with a replica firearm and disorderly conduct with the threat of violence, death, or bodily harm at school. The incident highlights the importance of responsible behavior on college campuses and the potential consequences of such actions.
this is so crazy! Like what if that gun was real?! 
how does one even pull off a prank like this? I mean I get it, it's meant to be funny but at what cost?! 
the poor guy who got "shot" must have been freaking out for sure! 
and now Josh is facing some serious charges... I hope he gets help or something 
because this just shows how easily things can escalate into something real. 
gotta be more responsible, you know?! 
. Someone pretending to have a real gun in their face? That's not cool at all 
. And for what? A joke? I don't think so 
. The fact that he made his friend think the school was under attack and had authorities responding? That's just wrong 
. College campuses are supposed to be safe spaces, you know? 
I'm not sure why this guy's going to court for just pointing a fake rifle around, but it's still a weird situation. I mean, yeah, he was outta line, but you'd think that just getting in trouble for school would be enough. The fact that the cops had to get involved and it escalated to an actual "active shooter" alert is pretty concerning. 
Still, you gotta wonder what went through this guy's head to think that was funny in the first place...
... like what's the big deal? it was a fake gun and he was begging for his life but ended up calling cops instead of actually doing something about it... and now this kid is facing charges, seems kinda harsh to me 
. It's not cool that this student was literally "begging for his life" 
and had to warn everyone about a potential shooter... like, what if it wasn't a joke?! 
. And now this guy's facing charges and I hope he takes responsibility for his actions 
... colleges need to do better at addressing these kinds of incidents too, like, let's get some serious counseling & consequences in place ASAP 
. And to think this was on a campus where you'd expect people to be all about spreading love and positivity? 
.
). But what really bothers me is that this kid could've gone to jail for a long time if it wasn't a replica firearm 
. We need to teach kids about responsibility and empathy, especially on college campuses where people are trying to learn and grow 
.
.
. And what's with all the "I'm begging for my life" vibes? If he was really scared, maybe don't go around waving a toy gun around 
. It's just silly. But on the other hand, I do get why the cops had to respond - you never know what might happen in those split seconds 
. Maybe this dude learned a valuable lesson about not pulling off some crazy stunt without thinking things through 
. Anyway, I'm not taking sides here, but it's a good reminder that our behavior has consequences, even if they're just for getting into trouble 
. college campuses are supposed to be safe spaces, not places where you're walking around with fake guns 
. let's all take a deep breath and think about how we can create a more supportive and responsible community 
it's just not worth the risk. what if someone didn't know it was a joke?! what if he really thought someone was trying to hurt him?! 
because they can have real life consequences 
anyway, glad no one got hurt but still super concerning.
Can you believe this? A fake rifle prank gone wrong... literally! 
It's hilarious, but also super serious. Like, who tries to pass off a toy gun as the real thing? 
Just saying, pranks are one thing but when you're trying to be funny and end up getting someone's life saved, maybe take a step back and reevaluate your sense of humor, dude...