KENOSHA — Questions and concerns are circulating in Kenosha after a serious threat of a school shooting shook the community last week.

A 13-year-old was arrested after what the Kenosha Police Department described as a threatened shooting at Roosevelt Elementary School.

TMJ4’s Megan Lee asked Kenosha Police Chief Patrick Patton if he or his department knew anything about the 13-year-old, who was taken into custody Thursday.

Previous coverage: https://www.tmj4.com/news/kenosha-county/kenosha-police-searching-for-suspicious-person-spotted-at-roosevelt-elementary-school

“That day was the first time his name came across one of our databases. This was the first time anyone had heard that name in our department,” said Chief Patton.

Chief Patton said the teen was not on their threat assessment list.

“We responded to Mahone several times for certain things, and we looked at each of those files, and it never involved him,” Chief Patton explained.

Watch: Kenosha Police Chief Discusses School Shooting Threat

Kenosha Police Chief Discusses School Shooting Threat

However, the Mahone Middle School student became the center of a potential tragedy and disturbing investigation.

“This kid was obsessed with it, absolutely obsessed with it,” Chief Patton said.

New surveillance video from the school district shows the teen trying to open exterior doors and erase his fingerprints.

“This behavior is driving a lot of our actions because it made no sense to us that if he only had an airsoft gun, this was the behavior he would display,” Chief Patton said.

Police discovered disturbing details during the investigation. The teen did hours of research into school shootings, took videos of himself practicing room-cleaning techniques and even looked at maps of the school.

“This wasn’t just someone who was upset. This was a real obsessive search, almost consumed by the idea of ​​being able to have this type of mass casualty,” Chief Patton said.

The parents tell us off-camera that they had filed complaints with the Kenosha Unified School District about the teen and his behavior before the incident.

A KUSD spokesperson sent this statement:

The recent incident at Roosevelt Elementary School affected all schools in Kenosha Unified, especially the Roosevelt and Mahone school communities. The district recognizes the concerns of families and staff and wishes to reassure the community that the safety of students and staff has always been and will remain a top priority.

Kenosha Unified Superintendent Dr. Jeff Weiss encourages students who need help processing this incident to contact their school counselor. The district is committed to providing resources and ensuring all students have access to someone to talk with if they need support.

The district is also undertaking a comprehensive review of its safety procedures and protocols to identify potential areas for improvement. This assessment is conducted internally and in collaboration with local law enforcement. Any changes that can be implemented quickly will be implemented immediately, while those requiring significant resources will be presented to the School Board for further review.

Prior to the incident, administrators had received concerns about images of airsoft weapons. These images did not contain threats or other concerning content, and these concerns were fully investigated. If threats had been made, administration would have notified law enforcement in accordance with the district’s standard threat assessment process. It is important to note that owning airsoft guns is not illegal. In past incidents, no District rules or laws were violated, such as the presence of similar weapons on District property or the threat of bodily harm.

The district urges families to emphasize the importance of “see something, say something” with their children. Community vigilance is essential to keeping schools safe, and students and families are encouraged to report any concerns through the Speak Up, Speak Out program. (speakup.widoj.gov)>
platform.

“We are grateful for the continued support and trust of our families as we navigate this situation together,” said Kenosha Unified Superintendent Dr. Jeff Weiss. “Please know that we remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of every student in our schools. »

“They were air guns. These are things that kids have all the time, so there would be no reason to get law enforcement involved at that time,” the chief said Patton.

He said the incident remains under investigation.

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