After an active shooter was reported outside a middle school in Wisconsin on Wednesday, a 14-year-old suspect was shot and killed by police, sources told.
According to the sources, the teenager had come toward Mount Horeb Middle School with what looked to be a long gun.
WI Attorney General Josh Kaul said that the suspect was a male student in the Mount Horeb Area School District. According to sources, bomb technicians were searching a vehicle connected to the suspect for evidence.
According to sources, a 14-year-old suspect was shot and killed by police on Wednesday after an active shooter was reported outside a middle school in Wisconsin.
The teenager had approached Mount Horeb Middle School brandishing what seemed to be a long gun, according to the sources.
The suspect, according to Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, is a male student at the Mount Horeb Area School District. Sources claim that bomb technicians were looking for evidence in a car that belonged to the suspect.
Kaul told reporters that he is limited in what information can be provided at this time because of the ongoing investigation, but he was unable to confirm whether the suspect fired any rounds.
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After an initial search of the middle school, no more suspects were found, and the district declared that all of the students and personnel were safe. Although there isn’t now thought to be a concern to public safety, law enforcement is nonetheless “vigorously investigating” the event, according to Kaul.
The Division of Criminal inquiry of the Wisconsin Department of Justice is in charge of the “entirety of the incident” inquiry, according to Kaul. According to customary procedure in a use-of-force incident, a few Mount Horeb police officers are on leave, he added.
Around 11:15 a.m. local time, all school district buildings were placed under lockdown, according to the district. Officials from the school informed students that they would be dismissed awaiting police approval and that they were to stay inside throughout the police inquiry. Since then, the district has begun releasing a few pupils.
I have been briefed on the incident at the Mount Horeb Area School District and am closely monitoring the situation.
I am praying for the health and safety of our kids, educators, and staff and grateful for the first responders who are working quickly to respond.
— Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) May 1, 2024
Superintendent of the Mount Horeb School District Steve Salerno said that a decision regarding the full return to school is anticipated soon, with the goal of starting classes by Friday.
During the news conference on Wednesday, Salerno stated, “If there’s a story to be told of today, it’s a story of an amazing staff that have rallied in support of our beautiful children.”
Proactive safety measures, he added, were essential to averting a worse situation. These included installing security upgrades like vestibules and protected front doors.
“This could have been a far worse tragedy,” Salerno stated.
A “horrifying situation” was confronted by the village of Mount Horeb, which is about 20 miles southwest of Madison. Village officials also praised the school district and emergency responders for their “swift and courageous” reaction to the active shooter incident.
“Due to safety precautions taken by our Schools, the shooter was never able to enter the building,” Mount Horeb Village president Ryan Czyzewski and Mount Horeb Chamber Board chair Kara Brandemuehl issued a joint statement saying. “The collaboration and coordination between our community’s first responders and School District exemplified the highest standards of professionalism and dedication.”
Tony Evers, the governor of Wisconsin, said he is “closely monitoring” the issue.
“Every day, our kids, educators, and staff go to school and hope a day like this will never come,” he stated in a statement.
Evers declared that the school community had his undivided attention “as they grapple with what has undoubtedly been a scary and traumatic day for everyone involved.”
