A 13-year-old boy was stopped from entering a Wisconsin elementary school Thursday morning during a suspected attempt to carry out a mass shooting, local authorities said.
The boy, seen dressed in black and carrying a large backpack and duffle bag, was taken into custody hours after fleeing the scene of Roosevelt Elementary School in Kenosha, where school staff refused to let him inside, the city’s police chief said.
“This suspect actually tried numerous outside doors and entrances before coming around to where our secured entry is,” Dr. Jeff Weiss, superintendent with the Kenosha Unified School District, said at a press conference.
Kenosha Police Department
“The suspect got nervous. Started fidgeting more. Turned around and left,” Weiss said, citing surveillance video of the teen’s interaction with staff as they questioned him and refused to unlock a second set of doors after deeming him “suspicious.” “Their actions were heroic and prevented the unfathomable.”
Authorities declined to comment on what exactly the boy allegedly had with him, but said he’s believed to have been carrying a firearm.
A later investigation found that the teen, identified only as a student in the Kenosha Unified School District, allegedly shared concerning videos and made comments to other students for weeks leading up to the incident. The suspect also conducted multiple online searches about school shootings, said Kenosha police Chief Patrick Patton.
One of the alleged videos was played at the press conference, showing the suspect handling a rifle in what appears to be a home.
“This is something that should have been told to people, of his growing intentions,” Patton said. “We know that there were internet searches. All the red flags that we would look for and expect someone to report were there. We narrowly missed a tragedy today.”
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The police chief encouraged parents to talk with their children about their obligation to report anything potentially concerning to a parent, teacher or law enforcement.
“Help us out. Have those talks with your children. Those videos shouldn’t have been seen by us today. This should have been reported to us earlier,” he said.
No further information was released about the suspect, and authorities declined to comment to a reporter about the boy’s legal guardians.
