UPDATE at 12:10 p.m. CST on Nov. 8, 2024: The teenage suspect accused of planning a school shooting has bene charged with one count of Terroristic Threats and is scheduled to appear in court on Friday morning, Kenosha Police say.
The suspect’s home was searched at 2:54 p.m. CST on Nov. 7. A replica rifle and several air soft handguns were recovered, but no real firearms were found at the time. Kenosha police say the suspect’s mother was fully cooperative during the search and confirmed that the suspect didn’t have access to any real firearms.
Kenosha Police say the suspect initially told them he visited the school to sell candy, but later told a social worker his intention was to scare students.
Authorities clarified their intentions and execution of protocols in wake of the suspected threat:
Yesterday’s response was driven by the information we gathered throughout the initial investigation. The Kenosha Police Department had reason to believe the suspect had access to some type of firearm based on videos on social media and other witness information. The actions on scene were extremely suspicious and the internet activity by the suspect suggested they had extensive research history related to previous school shootings, information on how to execute a school shooting, and specifics about the targeted building. These are all concerns that resulted in our decision to safeguard all schools within the entire county until we could confirm that there was no further threat.
Authorities included the following images of the suspect’s airsoft and replica firearms:
UPDATE at 4:25 p.m. CST on Nov. 7, 2024: Roosevelt Elementary School faculty and Kenosha-area law enforcement thwarted a potential school shooting attempt, leading to the arrest of a 13-year-old suspect — a current Mahone Middle School student and former Roosevelt student.
According to Kenosha Police Chief Patrick Patton, the suspect brought a suspicious black duffel bag, which they believed to contain a gun, to the school around 9:00 a.m. CST on Thursday morning. The suspect allegedly tried to open several locked, side doors before trying the front entrance to a vestibule.
Per Kenosha Police, school faculty confronted the suspect and asked him questions about why he was there, to which he was visibly nervous and eventually fled from the scene. They alerted Kenosha Police, who launched an investigation that culminated in an arrest on 30th Ave in the area of 67th St. and Roosevelt Rd in Kenosha; thanks in part to tips from the community.
“The investigation revealed that the suspect shared videos and made several comments to fellow students for weeks leading up to today,” Kenosha Police Chief Patrick Patton said. “Parents and/or children are asked to immediately communicate that information to law enforcement.”
Authorities learned that the suspect had numerous searches related to school shootings in their internet history and previously took a video with an assault rifle, which they showed in a media briefing on Thursday. Although they were unable to confirm it at this point, authorities feared that the same rifle was in the black duffel bag brought to the scene.
Kenosha Police are still actively investigating this issue and expect to have more information on Friday, November 8th. They are currently unsure of how the teenager would’ve gained possession of a firearm.
During the course of this investigation, authorities received a seemingly unrelated report of a potential active shooter at Gateway Technical College. Multiple units responded to the area and found that the threat was not credible, but in the process, a police officer was hurt in an accident near the intersection of 30th Ave & Washington Rd and is now recovering.
UPDATE at 2:43pm on November 7: Kenosha Police have a suspect in custody for trying to enter Roosevelt Elementary School earlier today. Police will remain at all Kenosha Unified schools until dismissal is complete for extra security.
Police confirmed that there is no threat to students or the schools at this time.
Earlier in the day, Kenosha Unified School District officials sent this note to parents:
Hello, KUSD families. We are calling to share that due to the incident at Roosevelt this morning involving an individual entering the building with suspicious bags and then fleeing into the neighborhood, all KUSD schools are currently on a secure hold. This means business as usual is occurring inside schools, but no one can enter or exit buildings at this time. We also are holding our morning 4K students and canceling our afternoon 4K. We understand the concerns this may raise, but assure you this is being done for the safety of our students, staff and families as we work closely with the Kenosha Police Department who is working to locate the suspect as quickly as possible. If anyone has information regarding this incident, please call the Kenosha Police Department at 262-656-1234. Thank you.
KENOSHA, Wis. — Kenosha Police are looking for a suspicious person who was at Roosevelt Elementary School on Thursday, November 7.
Police say the person is no longer on campus, but remain onsite and are continuing to search the area. A photo of who they are searching for is below.
Kenosha Unified School District says that all of the campuses are safe, and are cooperating with law enforcement.
Police request that if you this person or recently saw this person on campus, please contact the Kenosha Police Department at 262-656-1234.
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