KENOSHA — Questions and concerns are circulating in Kenosha after a serious school shooting threat rocked the community last week.
A 13-year-old was arrested after what the Kenosha Police Department described as a school 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 taken into custody on 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 had crossed any of our databases. It was the first time anyone had heard that name in our department,” Chief Patton said.
Chief Patton said the teen wasn’t on their threat assessment list.
"We responded to Mahone multiple times for certain things, and we looked through each and every one of those records, and it never involved him,” Chief Patton explained.
Watch: 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 wiping his fingerprints off.
"That behavior is what drove a lot of our actions because it didn’t make sense to us that if he only had an airsoft gun, this was the behavior he would display,” Chief Patton said.
Police uncovered disturbing details during the investigation. The teen did hours of research on school shootings, took videos of himself practicing room-clearing techniques, and even looked up maps of the school.
"This was not just someone who was upset. This was actual obsessive research, almost consumed by the thought of being able to pull off this type of mass casualty,” Chief Patton said.
Parents tell us off-camera that they had made complaints to the Kenosha Unified School District about the teen and his behavior prior to the incident.
A spokesperson with KUSD sent this statement:
The recent incident at Roosevelt Elementary School has affected all schools in Kenosha Unified, particularly the Roosevelt and Mahone school communities. The district acknowledges the concerns of families and staff and wants to reassure the community that student and staff safety has always been, and will remain, a top priority.
Kenosha Unified Superintendent Dr. Jeff Weiss encourages students needing support processing this incident to contact their school counselor. The district is committed to providing resources and ensuring all students have access to someone they can speak 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 evaluation is being conducted internally and in collaboration with local law enforcement agencies. Any changes that can be implemented quickly will be done immediately, while those requiring significant resources will be presented to the Board of Education for further consideration.
Before the incident, administrators received concerns regarding images of airsoft guns. These images did not include threats or other concerning content, and these concerns were thoroughly investigated. Had any threats been made, administration would have notified law enforcement in line 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 had been broken, such as having look-alike weapons on district property or threatening bodily harm.
The district urges families to emphasize the importance of "see something, say something" with their children. Community vigilance is vital in maintaining safe schools, and students and families are encouraged to report any concerns through the Speak Up, Speak Out<https://speakup.widoj.gov/ [speakup.widoj.gov]>
platform.
“We are grateful for the ongoing 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-soft guns. Those are things kids have all the time, so there would be no reason to involve law enforcement at that time,” Chief Patton said.
He said this incident is still under investigation.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.