A 13-year-old girl suffered minor injuries after a Milwaukee Police officers gun accidentally discharged in its holster at a northwest side elementary school Thursday.
Police say officers responded to Thoreau Elementary School at 7878 N. 60th St. about 1 p.m. to conduct an investigation involving a girl.
TODAY'S TMJ4 has learned that the girl wanted to make a report about something that happened two days ago.
While speaking to the girl, police say she became uncooperative and combative with the officers, and a supervising officer tried to deescalate the situation.
Police say the girl started to tug on the supervising officer's belt and the gun discharged while still in the holster.
The child was treated and released from a local hospital.
The incident has parents at the school concerned. Thoreau has grades K4 through 8th grade, and houses an after-school program.
"It's alarming to me, it's really alarming," says Marie, a mother of two boys who did not want to give her last name.
"This is just an unfortunate thing. It's pretty bad that a 13 year old is in a position that they are wrestling with a police officer," said Tony, another parent who did not to give his last name.
Parents are also worried that a gun was able to go off inside a school.
"There's no way it should have went off either," Marie said.
Marie's children say the school went on lockdown, much to the surprise of some parents.
One mom, who only wanted to be identified as Mrs. Harris, showed us when she got a call from the school. It was at 5:27 p.m., four and a half hours after the incident. Mrs. Harris says the notification did not prepare her for what happened.
"It just said it was an incident that delayed the dismissal. It didn't even say what the situation was," she said.
Milwaukee Public Schools said they notified parents as quickly as possibly after all children were on their buses and on the way home.
"I'm mad because my child was inside this school and they did not have the decency to call and tell us there was an incident involving a gun at the school," Harris said.
