Officers kill school shooting threat in Wisconsin, no other injuries reported, officials say
MOUNT HOREB, Wis. — Officials say that a school shooting threat was "neutralized" at a middle school west of Madison, Wisconsin, Wednesday morning, with no reported injuries to those inside the school.
Shortly after 11 a.m., school officials posted on social media that an active shooter had appeared on the school's campus. The county's emergency management reported the suspect had a rifle.
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said at a news conference Wednesday evening that "deadly force was used" and the suspect is dead. Kaul said a number of officers are on leave following the incident, as is standard when an officer-involved shooting takes place, but did not provide an exact number.
The Mount Horeb Area School District said the alleged shooter "did not breach entryway" at the middle school and there were "no reports of individuals being harmed, with the exception of the alleged assailant."
"He was outside and didn't enter the school," Kaul said. He would not say if the suspect ever fired any shots or tried to get inside the school.
The suspect has yet to be identified, but Kaul said he was a minor and a student in the school district.
Kaul said the district has been on lockdown since the call came in and family reunifications were ongoing as of Wednesday evening.
Witnesses described hearing gunshots and seeing dozens of children running. Parents were initially left with little information as the entire campus was placed on lockdown.
"There's just a bunch of police officers that kept like knocking on the door and making sure that it was barricaded, and our (substitute teacher) that we had was by the door ready," one witness told CBS News. "We're all just sitting there crying and texting our parents."
Kristen Malone waited frantically as law enforcement searched for possible additional suspects. Her 11-year-old daughter called her on the phone to tell her that she loved her.
"My biggest fear kind of felt like it was unfolding," Malone said. "I was able to talk to my daughter just a couple of minutes ago, but you still want to be able to touch them and hug them. I know they're pretty scared. ... It was just screaming and chaos in the background
More than a dozen law enforcement vehicles were at the scene, including SWAT-style trucks with emergency lights flashing. First responders surrounding a gurney on the sidewalk also were visible.
The district reported that their initial search of the school "has not yielded additional suspects." Kaul said later Wednesday officials did not believe there was any ongoing threat to the community.
The district had begun releasing some students of other schools by early afternoon and anxious parents gathered at a bus depot waiting to be reunited with their kids.
"I have been briefed on the incident at the Mount Horeb Area School District and am closely monitoring the situation," Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said in a statement. "I am praying for the health and safety of our kids, educators, and staff and grateful for the first responders who are working quickly to respond."
Max Kelly, 12, said his teacher told the class to get out of the school. He said they skated to a street, ditched their in-line skates and ran to a nearby convenience store and gas station and hid in a bathroom.
Kelly was reunited with his parents and sat on a hillside with them early Wednesday afternoon waiting for his younger siblings to be released from their own schools. He still wore socks, his shoes left behind.
"I don't think anywhere is safe anymore," said his mother, 32-year-old Alison Kelly.
Shannon Hurd, 44, and her former husband, Nathian Hurd, 39, sat in a car waiting for their 13-year-old son, Noah, who was still in the locked-down middle school.
Shannon Hurd said she was alerted to the incident by a text from Noah saying he loved her. She said she nearly fell down the stairs at her work as she ran to get to the school.
"I just want my kid," she said. "They're supposed to be safe at school, in Mount Horeb of all places."
Schools across the country have searched for ways to prevent mass shootings inside their walls, from physical security measures to drills on a response to an active shooter to technology including detailed digital maps. Many also rely on teachers and administrators working to detect early signs of mental health struggles.
Mount Horeb is about 25 miles west of Madison.