He said he intended to scare young Kenosha students

KENOSHA, Wisconsin (WBAY) – A 13-year-old Kenosha student was charged with terroristic threats Friday after being arrested Thursday on suspicion of planning a school shooting.

A search warrant at the boy’s home turned up several replica airsoft pistols and a replica rifle, the Kenosha Police Department said in an update Friday. No actual firearm was found, and his mother told investigators the boy did not have access to firearms.

A large police presence was reported at Roosevelt Elementary School in Kenosha around 9 a.m. following a report of a suspicious person on campus.

“So the suspect actually tried multiple exterior doors and entrances before getting to where we had a secure entrance,” Kenosha Unified School District Superintendent Jeff Weiss said.

School staff interrogated the teenager in the secure entrance area. The security camera showed a large black bag next to him.

The suspect fled when approached by school personnel, which led to injunctions being taken to prevent entry to the schools.

“We received multiple tips regarding the identity and location of the person depicted in the photo. Some of these tips led to our investigation and led to the arrest of a 13-year-old KUSD student. Kenosha Police Chief Patrick Patton said that once the suspect’s location was confirmed, officers were able to successfully convince the suspect to surrender.

Witnesses said police arrested the boy a few blocks from the school around 2 p.m.

Authorities said the teen was a Mahone Middle School student who previously attended Roosevelt.

“We can confirm that we have received at least one video showing the suspect holding what we believe to be a firearm. Kenosha police said in a statement Thursday that we have information that the suspect conducted multiple internet searches regarding school shootings prior to the incident.”

He initially told detectives that he went to the school to sell candy, but eventually told a social worker that he “went to the school with the intention of scaring students.”

Police said the investigation revealed the teen had been sharing videos and making various comments with other students for weeks leading up to Thursday.

“I want to thank our staff who acted quickly and contacted law enforcement so they could do their part to take the suspect into custody. “They may not have known exactly what happened at the time, but their actions were heroic and prevented the unthinkable,” said Inspector Weiss.

“This was something that people were told was his growing intention. We know there are searches on the internet and all the red flags are there that we would look for and wait for someone to report. They are coming today to tell us that we narrowly missed a tragedy and that we will encourage everyone again when they see something, say something, help us. Have these conversations with your children. This video was not supposed to be seen by us today. This should have been communicated to us sooner,” Patton said.

Police said they are continuing to ask the public for more information about Thursday’s incident.

“We want to encourage parents to talk to their children and encourage them to share videos and comments made by other students. Parents and/or children are asked to immediately disclose this information to law enforcement. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can report this information to Kenosha Crime Stoppers,” police said.

Kenosha police said the boy’s mother was cooperating with the investigation and disputed rumors on social media that he had been taken into custody. “We would like to clarify that no further arrests have been made in connection with this investigation.”

The school district had previously planned a day off for students on Friday, Nov. 8, due to a staff workday.

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