Student Gunman ‘Neutralized’ Outside Wisconsin Middle School: Officials
An attempted attack on a Wisconsin middle school was thwarted by law enforcement before anyone—besides the wannabe active shooter—was harmed, authorities said Wednesday.
The alleged gunman was “neutralized” outside Mount Horeb Middle School and “did not breach entryway” into the building, district officials said.
“An initial search of the middle school has not yielded additional suspects,” the district said. “As importantly, we have no reports of individuals being harmed, with the exception of the alleged assailant.”
No information on the assailant was immediately released. Sources told ABC News that the suspect was 14 years old. Authorities later said at an evening news conference that the gunman had been a student at Mount Horeb Area School District, but did not elaborate.
An investigation remains ongoing, with FBI agents on the scene to assist state and local agencies, a spokesperson told ABC News.
An earlier alert sent to community residents’ phones had warned them that an active shooter armed with a rifle was at the school.
A witness told the Associated Press that she heard gunshots and saw children scrambling for cover. “It was maybe like pow-pow-pow-pow,” Jeanne Keller said in a phone interview. “I thought it was fireworks. I went outside and saw all the children running... I probably saw 200 children.”
More than a dozen law enforcement vehicles, including SWAT-style trucks, were pictured outside the school on Wednesday afternoon. Photos published by the Wisconsin State Journal showed a rolling gurney positioned on the sidewalk.
Mount Horeb Middle School lies roughly 22 miles west of the state’s capital city of Madison. The Mount Horeb Area School District works with around 2,500 children across five schools.
“You would be so proud of our students and staff, and we’re so grateful for our first responders,” it said on Wednesday.
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