An armed 13-year-old student was arrested hours after being stopped from entering an elementary school in Kenosha, Wisc. on Thursday, according to police reports.
The teenage Kenosha resident had previously researched school shootings and fled Roosevelt Elementary School on foot when confronted by staff. He claimed to go to the school to sell candy, detectives said, but later told social workers his true intent was to scare students. No injuries were reported from the incident, and he has been charged with one count of terroristic threats.
The “suspect actually tried numerous outside doors and entrances before coming around to where our secured entry is,” said Kenosha Unified School District Superintendent Jeff Weiss.
Detectives searched the teenager’s house, finding air soft replica handguns and a replica rifle, but no firearms. Police say his mother is being cooperative in the investigative process.
“Incidents like these remind us that our community is not exempt. We need to remain vigilant and be willing to say something if we see something,” the Kenosha Police Department wrote in a statement. “While yesterday’s incident did not result in unimaginable tragedy, it still had a powerful effect on many of us.”
“We now know that the suspect’s intentions were displayed and shared with others well before the event unfolded and if reported earlier, we may have been able to intervene and provide resources that would have allowed us to avoid such an impactful incident in our community,” the statement reads.
The identity of the suspect has not been released.
