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A 13-year-old boy was taken into custody in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after attempting to enter Roosevelt Elementary School while armed. The incident occurred around 9 a.m. on Thursday (November 7), when the boy, carrying a backpack and a duffle bag, was stopped by school staff in a secured entrance area. Surveillance video showed a large black bag at his side. The boy immediately fled on foot when approached by staff.
The boy, a former student at Roosevelt Elementary and a current student at Mahone Middle School was apprehended by police around 2 p.m. during a community-wide search.
"We narrowly missed a tragedy," said Kenosha Police Chief Patrick Patton at a news conference on Thursday afternoon.
According to Patton, the boy had been researching school shootings online and had shared videos and made comments to fellow students about his intentions in the weeks leading up to the incident.
"We know that there are internet searches and all the red flags that we would look for and expect someone to report were there," Patton said.
The police have not released the boy's identity or explained how he had access to the gun. The boy's mother is reportedly cooperating with the police. All Kenosha Unified schools were placed on a "secure hold" lockdown for the rest of Thursday. There were no classes on Friday, as the district had previously scheduled a staff work day.