ARTICLE UPDATE 5/8/24:
The 14-year-old student killed outside Mount Horeb Middle School on May 1 was armed with a long-barrel pellet gun, according to investigators.
Mount Horeb Police responded to reports of a person with a backpack and a long gun near the school. The boy reportedly pointed the gun at officers when they told him to put it down. Officers shot at the teen, who died on the scene. No one else was injured. The recovered weapon was a Ruger .177 caliber pellet rifle, ABC 11 reports.
Mount Horeb Leaders Warn of Toy Gun Dangers
Green Bay Area Public Schools leaders sent a letter warning district families of the dangers of using toy guns, specifically Orbeez.
“They’re basically little pellets you place in water and they absorb the water and they become a water-filled pellet. But some of these weapons can shoot them at a high rate of speed, so depending on how close you are to the person you’re shooting, there can be injuries that occur,” said Chris Collar, the district’s Safety and Security Manager. “We understand they are toys and they are recreational, but there’s a time and place for those types of things, and on our school campuses and on our school grounds is not where we want them.”
Students returned to class Monday for the first time since the incident. Therapy dogs were at the school to support students and staff.
ARTICLE UPDATE 5/2/24:
Police shot and killed a 14-year-old Wednesday after receiving reports of a person armed with a gun outside Mount Horeb Middle School.
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said officers from the Mount Horeb Police Department responded and used deadly force, NBC reports. The suspect is a student in the Mount Horeb Area School District. No one else was injured. As protocol, some officers were placed on leave following the shooting.
The district wrote on its Facebook page that its seven buildings went into lockdown around 11:16 a.m. Kaul said the lockdown lasted longer than usual because police were concerned there might have been an additional threat after the student was killed. The district began its reunification process around 4:30 p.m., starting from youngest to oldest, according to Channel 3000. Some students were reunited with their families as late as 8:30 p.m.
During a news briefing Wednesday, District Superintendent Steve Salerno told reporters that security measures at the school mitigated the threat. He also praised students who reported that the suspect was approaching the school.
“This could have been a far worse tragedy,” he said. “We have a system in place that before anyone can come into our schools, they must ring through a doorbell and state the nature of their business.”
The district canceled classes on Thursday and announced resources would be available at a community gathering at the High School Commons.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE 5/1:
MOUNT HOREB, Wis. – A 14-year-old suspect is dead following what school district officials describe as an active shooter incident at Mount Horeb Middle School.
The suspect didn’t breach the campus entry into the building, and no one else was injured, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. More than a dozen police responded, along with SWAT and a helicopter. An initial search of the campus didn’t find any other suspects.
The incident happened just after 11 a.m. on Wednesday, and all school district buildings went into lockdown at 11:15 a.m., reports ABC News. Some parents said their children hid in closets and were afraid to use their cell phones. One class fled the school gym on in-line skates, reports the Associated Press.
An emergency notification was also sent out, warning the community about an armed suspect. Residents were warned to stay inside their homes and lock their doors.
At about 12:45 p.m., students were in the process of being reunited with their parents, reports WISN.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
