A suspect was taken into custody Thursday after Wisconsin police said a teenager attempted to enter an elementary school in Kenosha while potentially armed.
According to authorities, a person attempted to enter Roosevelt Elementary School in Kenosha “with suspicious bags.” When confronted by school staff in the entryway of the building, the person fled the school into a nearby neighborhood, officials said.
The school was placed on a “secure hold” and just after 2 p.m. Thursday, authorities said a 13-year-old was arrested.
Though they did not confirm if a weapon was on the teen at the time of the confrontation, they said they believed firearms were inside the bag he carried.
“We believe that this was actually an armed suspect with a firearm, and there was no legitimate reason to enter the school,” Kenosha Police Chief Patrick Patton said at a news conference following the arrest.
Police shared video showing the teen practicing “rudimentary techniques” with a rifle and evidence showed he conducted multiple internet searches related to school shootings, authorities said.
“Today we experienced something that all school staff and families fear — a potential school shooting,” Kenosha Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Jeff Weiss said at the news conference, according to NBC affiliate station TMJ4. “Today we are thankful.”
Weiss said the “safety work” done by the school in advance of the incident “prevented further tragedy.”
Officials urged parents to talk to their children and “if you see something, say something.”
Roosevelt Elementary is less than two miles from where a teenager gunned down two men on Aug. 25, 2020, during protests over the shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake, by Kenosha police.
A little less than 15 months after the fatal shootings, a jury found Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty of all charges. Rittenhouse, who is now 21, testified in his own defense and said the fatal shootings were acts of self-defense.
