Student Fatally Shot by Police After Bringing Gun to Wisconsin Middle School: ‘Could Have Been a Far Worse Tragedy’

“Police officers responded to the threat and used deadly force,” authorities said

Wisconsin police officers shot and killed a middle school student who brought a gun to campus in Mount Horeb in Dane County.

The Mount Horeb Area School District was locked down on Wednesday, May 1, due to a report of “someone with a weapon outside the middle school,” said the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) in a news release.

“Police officers responded to the threat and used deadly force,” the release continued, identifying the person as a student within the school district.

The student was 14-years-old, according to Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR).

Officials also said that the incident took place outdoors and that the student with the weapon “never gained entry to the school buildings.” Police added that no one else at the school other than the student who brought the gun to campus was “physically injured.”

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Authorities said that “no law enforcement officers were injured” during the incident, and they “were wearing body cameras.”

The middle school initially announced the threat on Facebook on Wednesday at about 11:30 a.m. local time, writing: “Community members, there has been an active shooter at our middle school this morning. The individual did not breach entryway. Police department is helping to scope out our building to ensure the safety of our students and staff.”

Shortly after the initial post, the school confirmed the threat was “neutralized outside of the building.” It added in another post, per ABC News: “An initial search of the middle school has not yielded additional suspects. As importantly, we have no reports of individuals being harmed, with the exception of the alleged assailant.”

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In a press conference, Attorney General Josh Kaul confirmed that the student with the gun was fatally shot, though he did not give additional details, like whether the student had exchanged gunfire with police, per CNN and WPR.

Mount Horeb Area School District Superintendent Steve Salerno stressed the importance of security systems in place like locked front doors, which the school district already had in place, during the press conference.

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“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,” Salerno said, per CNN and ABC News. “This could have been a far worse tragedy.”

The school district was closed on Thursday, May 2, WPR reported. The school district said in a social media post that they were “carefully planning for the upcoming days” and would update parents on a new schedule.

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