WAUKESHA, Wis. — A 17-year-old boy was arrested after reportedly being armed with a rifle near Waukesha North High School on Friday, prompting a large police response.
The district attorney's office told TMJ4 News not to immediately expect charges filed against the suspect due to a "behavioral health" issue.
According to the Waukesha Police Department, officers were told a man with a rifle was seen in the backyard of the 200 block of Greenmeadow Drive. Students provided a description of the man and notified the School Resource Officer.
Waukesha North High School placed the school on a secure status to lock outside doors and ensure students and staff were all inside shortly before 1 p.m. Butler Middle School, Hawthorne, Lowell, and Summit View Elementary Schools also followed the secure hold procedures until 1:45 p.m. During the secure hold, classes continued as usual and hallway traffic was cleared.
Police say they deployed a significant response to the area to safeguard the schools. After securing the schools, officers searched the area for the suspect.
Waukesha Police Captain Dan Baumann says the students who spoke up after seeing the teen likely prevented a tragedy.
“They saved that community. I don’t think people understand how important it was what those kids did," Baumann told TMJ4's Sarah McGrew. "They went directly to and notified somebody, protecting over 12,000 kids that day.”
Baumann says students saw the suspect wearing a mask and carrying a gun.
"We had the students who were outside of the campus, as they were allowed to be, and they [saw] a suspicious activity, specifically somebody wearing a mask over their face and [carrying] a firearm in their hand.”
An officer found the 17-year-old boy in a backyard armed with a rifle. The suspect eventually surrendered and he was taken into custody. The firearm was recovered.
According to Waukesha police on Monday, April 17, they are treating the suspect as an adult. The 'behavioral health' issue led to a delay in the charging decision. "There is a mental health commitment issue we have to navigate first," a spokesperson said.
"We understand that this incident has garnered a significant [sic] attention in the public domain and we want to keep the public informed utilizing our media partners as a resource. However, the information is limited to unknown until we can complete more of the investigation," according to police.
The police department said the incident is a true testament to the Wisconsin Department of Justice's "Speak Up Speak Out" campaign.
"The students observed something and said something about it," the Waukesha Police Department said in a statement Friday. "These courageous students are the ones who helped safeguard the community today, to those amazing students, Thank you! We want to thank the Waukesha North Administrative team and the School District of Waukesha for their vigilance of training in school safety protocols."
Below is the letter the Waukesha School District sent to families and staff:
According to NBC26, a student also brought an unloaded firearm onto school property in Manitowoc on Thursday. Two students were allegedly seen exchanging something in the Roncalli Middle School parking lot. After an investigation, it was confirmed to be a gun. The two students were arrested and taken to the Sheboygan County Juvenile Detention Center.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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