Boy tried to enter Kenosha school while armed, police say
KENOSHA — Kenosha Police had a 13-year-old middle school student in custody for allegedly attempting to enter a local elementary school while armed.
Authorities said they believe the student was armed with a firearm when stopped while attempting to enter Roosevelt Elementary School in Kenosha Thursday morning.
"A tragedy was averted today," Kenosha Police Chief Patrick Patton said at a Thursday afternoon press conference.
The boy in custody, who police said attends Mahone Middle School, was a former Roosevelt Elementary student. He was intercepted in the 6700 block of 30th Avenue around 2:05 p.m. during a communitywide search Thursday.
"We will not be releasing the name of the individual involved at this time," Patton said.
Kenosha Police had announced they were seeking a "suspicious person" authorities said had attempted to enter Roosevelt Elementary through a secure area at 9:02 a.m.
The individual was reportedly carrying a backpack and a duffel bag when stopped and questioned by school staff in the building's secured entryway. He then fled the building into the neighborhood.
A "secure hold" lockdown of all Kenosha Unified schools was put into place for the rest of the day. The Kenosha County Sheriff's Department and Pleasant Prairie Police stationed squads at all KUSD schools, including in Somers and Pleasant Prairie, and squads patrolled during the search.
Patton said later that a separate report of a possible "active shooter" at Gateway Technical College in Kenosha was "unfounded," and was likely due to the response of people reporting what they heard of the KUSD incident.
A Kenosha Police Department officer was injured in a vehicle crash that occurred as units responded to the Gateway report, he said. The officer was taken to the hospital, where he was reportedly stable and recovering.
In a statement late Thursday, State Superintendent Jill Underly thanked school staff for stopping the boy from entering the building.
"Their quick actions protected students and ensured nobody was hurt," she said. "The threat of violence in our schools is real, and staff must prepare every day. Under the leadership of Superintendent (Jeffrey) Weiss, staff were well-trained – they saved lives today."
