Student killed after carrying weapon outside middle school, Wisconsin attorney general says
The scene outside a middle school in Mount Horeb
(CNN) — Police officers in a Wisconsin village shot and killed a student who brought a gun near a middle school Wednesday morning, according to Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul.
The student from the Mount Horeb Area School District, who was a minor and not identified, never made entry into the school, Kaul told reporters at an evening news conference. No one else was injured, officials said.
“This could have been a far worse tragedy,” said District Superintendent Steve Salerno.
On Wednesday morning, Mount Horeb police officers responded to reports of a person with a weapon outside the school.
“Police officers responded to the threat and used deadly force,” according to a news release from the state Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, which is leading the investigation into the shooting. “This incident took place outdoors.”
After the shooting, police checked but found no evidence of any other suspects, officials said.
The officers involved were placed on administrative leave, “per agency policy,” the release said.
Officers were wearing body cameras, according to the release.
Students were still being reunified with family after the middle school went into an hourslong lockdown, Kaul said.
Schools will remain closed Thursday and officials will reassess reopening Friday, Salerno said.
On Facebook, the district said it will release information about support services on Thursday morning.
The village of Mount Horeb is about 23 miles southwest of Madison.
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CNN’s Taliah Miller contributed to this report.
