KENOSHA, Wis. – Kenosha police say a 13-year-old boy who was armed tried to enter Roosevelt Elementary School early Thursday, Nov. 7, is now in custody. He was arrested just after 2 p.m

Officials say just after 9 a.m. Thursday, a suspected gunman entered a secure area of ​​the school with a backpack. When approached by school personnel, the male immediately fled the area and all KUSD schools were placed on a secure hold. Officials said this means it is business as usual inside the schools, but no one can enter or leave the buildings at this time.

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Kenosha Police have received numerous tips about the suspect being in the area. Some of those tips led to the arrest of the 13-year-old KUSD student near 67th Street and 30th Avenue. Officers at the scene were able to convince the teenager to surrender.

Video of a teenager before a school incident

Investigators say they have received at least one video of the teenage suspect holding a firearm. They shared a portion of that video with the media — which officials said shows the teenager and “appears to be practicing room entry techniques.”

Officials said they also confirmed reports that the teenager had conducted several Internet searches related to school shootings prior to this incident.

“The only reason the individual was not able to fully enter the school was because of the quick and diligent actions of the school staff,” said Kenosha Police Chief Patrick Patton.

The chief said there was a report that there was another incident that occurred at Gateway. He confirmed that it was unfounded.

The teenager tried to enter the school several times

Superintendent Weiss indicated that the teenager tried to enter Roosevelt several times – checking the doors and entrances before coming to the secure entrance.

“I want to point out that because those schools were built when schools like Roosevelt were built, they were built to get students out in the event of a fire. They weren’t built for some of the challenges we have. faces today,” Weiss said.

KUSD Superintendent Jeffrey Weiss

Kenosha Mayor David Bogdala said this was a scary time for many parents in the district.

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“What I take from this, and I hope everyone else will, is that all the work and all the collaboration that goes into preparing for emergencies like this has worked,” the mayor said.

Kenosha Mayor David Bogdala

Parents’ reaction

“I was very stressed,” said parent Manny Murillo. “A little worried, you know.”

“As a parent, you never think about it,” said parent Estevan Cruz. “You can never imagine once you get that message.”

“We are grateful”

“The safety work we did today as a district has prevented further tragedies,” Superintendent Weiss said. “Our staff and students, along with law enforcement partners, regularly review, plan and execute incidents like the one we encountered at Roosevelt this morning. We don’t take this lightly,” said KUSD Superintendent Jeff Weiss. “We are grateful for the secure entrance at Roosevelt Elementary School, which prevented easy access to the building and our students and staff. We are grateful for our staff who bravely stop the individual and ask questions that make them question their choices and run. We are grateful for the multiple law enforcement agencies that stepped in to surround our schools, not just in Kenosha Unified, but throughout the county. We are grateful for our staff continuing to work with our children, your children, our students throughout the day to provide as much normality as possible despite our own fears that children may be facing safety.”

State Superintendent Dr. Jill Underly released the following statement:

“I am so grateful to the Kenosha school staff for stopping a young man with a firearm from entering the building. Their quick actions protected the students and ensured no one was hurt. The threat of violence in our schools is real, and staff must prepare every day. Under the leadership of Superintendent Weiss, the staff was well trained – they saved lives today.