Wisc. Elementary School Staff Hailed for 'Heroic' Thwarting of Potential Mass Shooting

Mar. 15, 2025

A photo of the suspect from the Kenosha Police Department.Photo:Kenosha Police Department/Facebook

Kenosha Police Department/Facebook

Staff at a Wisconsin elementary school are being praised for their efforts to protect students after they prevented an allegedly “suspicious” teenager from entering an elementary school.

“We can confirm that we’ve received at least one video depicting the suspect holding an illegal firearm,”  Patton said during the press conference, later adding: “The video shows the suspect walking with what we believe to be a rifle, practicing rudimentary techniques.”

“We also have information that the suspect performed multiple internet searches related to school shootings prior to the incident,” he added.

Patton said that thanks to “tips” police received from the community, they were able to locate and arrest the suspect, who police said was a student within the Kenosha Unified School District (KUSD) system, a few blocks away from the school. Police confirmed the arrest in anupdateon social media at around 2:20 p.m.

“We know that there [were] internet searches, and all the red flags that we would look for and expect someone to report were there,” Patton said.

“We narrowly missed a tragedy today, and we’re just going to re-encourage everybody when they see something, say something, help us have those talks with your children,” he added.

Roosevelt Elementary School and the rest of KUSD schools were placed on lockdown while police investigated the incident, the Kenosha Police Department said.

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A photo of Roosevelt Elementary School in Kenosha, Wisconsin.Google Maps

Google Maps

KUSD Superintendent Jeff Weiss toldCNNand theMilwaukee Journal Sentinelthe teen used one of the school’s side entrances to get to a “secure entryway,” where school staff approached him and questioned him. The boy then appeared to get “nervous” before fleeing the building into the neighborhood, Weiss alleged.

“They did not know in the exact moment what was happening, but their actions were heroic and prevented the unfathomable,” Weiss said, calling the incident a “potential school shooting.”

Wisconsin State Superintendent Dr. Jill Underly alsoshared a statement, saying she was “so thankful” for the “school staff in Kenosha” for “preventing a young person with a firearm from entering” the school.

“Their quick actions protected students and ensured nobody was hurt,” she continued. “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.”

source: people.com