Suspect charged with terroristic threats in Kenosha school incident, airsoft guns recovered

A 13-year-old Kenosha boy has been charged with one count of terroristic threats connected to his role in what officials initially feared was a possible school shooting Thursday at Roosevelt Elementary School.

The student, whose name has not been released, is scheduled to make an initial court appearance Friday. He is a student at Mahone Middle School and attended Roosevelt Elementary, according to police. Police said no other arrests were made and there were no injuries resulting from the incident.

In a search Thursday of the suspect's home, police found several airsoft guns — low-power air guns which fire plastic pellets and are often used recreationally — which resemble real firearms.

Police have yet to say what was inside the bags the suspect was seen carrying when he attempted to enter the school.

"Reporting what was located inside the bags when the suspect arrived at the school would be speculation on our part," said Lt. Joshua Hecker, the Kenosha Police Department's public information officer, in an email.

Police said the suspect provided them with two different reasons for his actions – to sell candy and to scare the students.

The teens presence at the school prompted the city's schools to go on lockdown and triggered a large-scale police search for him before he was apprehended Thursday afternoon.

"Yesterday's response was driven by the information we gathered throughout the initial investigation," the Kenosha Police Department said in a Friday news release. "The Kenosha Police Department had reason to believe the suspect had access to some type of firearm based on videos on social media and other witness information.

"These are all concerns that resulted in our decision to safeguard all schools within the entire county until we could confirm that there was no further threat."

Police said in a press release they searched the suspect's home at 2:54 p.m. Thursday and that his mother cooperated with the investigation. She told police her son did not have access to firearms.

Police Chief says 'red flags' should have prompted student to be reported

Chief Patrick Patton said at a press conference after the suspect was in custody that the department had received video of the student wielding what appeared to be a rifle and practicing tactics with it.

Additionally, the chief said the investigation revealed the suspect had internet searches of school shootings. He described these as red flags the department should have known about earlier.

"This is something that should've been known. This is something that had been told to people of his growing intentions. We know there are internet searches and all the red flags we would look for and expect someone to report were there," Patton said on Thursday. "We narrowly missed a tragedy today."

Staff praised for preventing a possible school shooting

Authorities and officials lauded school staff, who they said helped avert a possible tragedy by approaching the student in the elementary school's entryway. A staff member approached the suspect, which officials said prompted the teenager to flee into the neighborhood.

Following his fleeing in the morning, Kenosha's schools went into what they described as a "secure hold," where no one is allowed in or out, but the district operates as usual. By 2:40 p.m., the school district ended its "secure hold"

The entryway was described as secure entrance by officials, who said the suspect never entered any of the main areas of the school. Kenosha Superintendent Jeffrey Weiss said the teenager attempted to enter through various other entrances, which are kept lock, before using that entry.

"They may not have known in the exact moment what was happening, but their actions were heroic and prevented the unfathomable," Weiss said of the staff's actions on Thursday evening.

Jill Underly, the state superintendent of public instruction, said she was "thankful a young person with a firearm" was prevented by staff from entering the school.

"Their quick actions protected students and ensured nobody was hurt," Underly said in a statement. "The threat of violence in our schools is real, and staff must prepare every day. Under the leadership of Superintendent Weiss, staff were well-trained – they saved lives today. I am so grateful for them."

David Clarey can be reached at .

This story has been updated to provide new information.