Kenosha police arrest 13-year-old in attempted school shooting

KENOSHA, Wis. (WBAY) – A tip from residents led to the arrest of a 13-year-old Kenosha Unified School District student who walked into Roosevelt Elementary School Thursday morning with a backpack and a black duffel bag, WISN reports.

“We have received numerous tips regarding the identity and location of the person in the photograph. Some of these tips formed the basis of our investigation and led to the arrest of a 13-year-old KUSD student. After verifying the suspect’s location, officers were able to successfully convince the suspect to surrender, said Kenosha Police Chief Patrick Patton.

Officials said the teen is a Mahone High School student who previously attended Roosevelt.

“We can confirm that we have received at least one video of the suspect holding what we believe to be a firearm. “We also have information that prior to the incident, the suspect conducted multiple Internet searches related to the school shooting,” Kenosha police said.

A large police presence was reported around 9 a.m. at Roosevelt Elementary School in Kenosha following reports of a suspicious person on campus.

“As such, the suspect tried multiple exterior doors and entrances before approaching our secure entrance,” said Kenosha Unified School District Superintendent Jeff Weiss.

School staff questioned the teenager at a guarded entrance. Surveillance cameras captured a large black bag next to him.

The suspect fled when approached by school personnel, resulting in the schools being placed on a precautionary hold to prevent entry.

“I want to commend our officers who acted quickly and engaged law enforcement so they could do their part to apprehend the suspect. They may not have known at the time what was happening, but their actions were heroic and prevented the unfathomable,” Weiss said.

After verifying the suspect’s location, officers were able to successfully convince the suspect to surrender. Witnesses said the arrest happened a few blocks from the school in the 6700 block of 30th Avenue around 2 p.m.

Police said the investigation revealed the suspect had been sharing videos and making several comments to fellow students in the weeks leading up to Thursday.

“This is what was told to people about his growing intentions. We know there are internet searches and all the red flags we were looking for and expecting someone to report were there. They’re going to say we almost missed a tragedy today and we’re just going to encourage everyone when they see something, say something, help us. Talk to your children about this. We weren’t supposed to see this video today. We should have reported this earlier.” said Patton.

Police said they continue to seek more information from the public about Thursday’s incident.

“We want to encourage parents to talk to their children and encourage them to share videos and comments from fellow students. Parents and/or children are asked to immediately report this information to law enforcement. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can report this information to Kenosha Crime Stoppers, police said.

Police have not released the man’s identity or said how he gained access to the weapon. They said the suspect’s mother is cooperating with police but was not taken into custody Thursday.

The school district had previously scheduled a day off for students for Friday, Nov. 8, in conjunction with an employee work day.

State Superintendent Dr. Jill Underly released a statement Thursday evening. In it she says:

“I am so grateful to the Kenosha school staff for preventing a young man with a firearm from entering the building. Their quick actions protected the students and ensured that no one was harmed. The threat of violence in our schools is real, and staff must prepare every day. Under the leadership of Superintendent Weiss, the officers were well trained and saved lives today. I’m so grateful to them.”

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