MOUNT HOREB – No charges will be filed against the officers who shot and killed a teenager outside Mount Horeb Middle School earlier this year. The Dane County District Attorney’s office announced the decision Monday, saying officers acted in accordance with the law.
14-year-old Damian Haglund was shot and killed on May 1, 2024 by Mount Horeb police officers who responded to the middle school after a report of a student armed with a rifle.
When they arrived at Mount Horeb Middle School, the 14-year-old raised an air rifle painted to look like a real firearm and pointed it at the first responding officer. That officer fired two shots at Haglund, which was followed by more shots from other officers.
“Under these circumstances the air rifle the subject possessed appeared to be a real firearm and the action of pointing it directly at law enforcement while advancing toward law enforcement was perceived to be a direct threat to the life of an officer,” the District Attorney’s office said. “Responding to that threat with deadly force is permitted under the law.”
No one else was injured in the incident.
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