KENOSHA – Questions and concerns are swirling in Kenosha after a serious school shooting threat rocked the community last week.

A 13-year-old boy has been arrested after what the Kenosha Police Department described as a shooting threat 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 arrested 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 went through any of our databases. That was the first time anyone had heard that name in our department,” Chief Patton said.

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

“We responded to Mahone multiple times for certain things and we looked through each of those records and never implicated 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 focus of a potential tragedy and a disturbing investigation.

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

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

“That behavior is what drove a lot of our actions because it didn’t make sense to us that if he just had an airsoft gun, that would be the behavior he would be exhibiting,” Chief Patton said.

The police discovered disturbing details during the investigation. The teenager did hours of research on school shootings, made videos of himself practicing room-clearing techniques, and even looked up maps of the school.

“This wasn’t just someone who was angry. This was an obsessive search, almost consumed by the thought of being able to eliminate this type of mass casualty,” Chief Patton said.

The parents tell us off camera that they made complaints to the Kenosha Unified School District about the teenager 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 wants to assure the community that the safety of students and staff has always been and will remain a top priority.

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

The district is also conducting 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 agencies. Any changes that can be implemented quickly will be made immediately, while those that require significant resources will be presented to the Board of Education for further consideration.

Prior to the incident, administrators received concerns about images of airsoft guns. These images did not include threats or other relevant content, and these concerns have been thoroughly investigated. If threats had been made, the 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 the past incidents, no district rules or laws were violated, such as possession of similar weapons on district property or threats of bodily harm.

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

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

“They were airsoft guns. These are things that kids have all the time, so there would be no reason to involve law enforcement at that point,” Chief Patton said.

He said this incident is still under investigation.

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