MOUNT HOREB, Wis. — There was an active shooter at Mount Horeb Middle School earlier Wednesday, according to Mount Horeb Area School District.
Officials with the district cancelled school for Thursday "in an effort to continue the healing process."
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said in a press conference Wednesday evening that there was a report of an individual with a weapon outside of the middle school. Law enforcement immediately followed up. The district was fully locked down.
The suspect was a male student enrolled in the Mount Horeb Area School District. Officials said he was a minor but have not released his name at this time. Police said they used deadly force and the suspect is dead.
Kaul said law enforcement executed a "comprehensive, full response."
Kaul said there are some officers who have been placed on leave, as per use of force policy. He was not able to confirm how many officers had been placed on leave at this time.
There are no reports of other individuals being harmed at this time. No officers or members of law enforcement were injured, Kaul said.
Kaul said there was a concern about an ongoing threat releated to the incident. However, upon further investigation, Kaul said officials believe there is no current threat to public safety.
“An initial search of the middle school has not yielded additional suspects,” a Facebook post from the school district around noon on Wednesday said. “As importantly, we have no reports of individuals being harmed, with the exception of the alleged assailant.”
“Based on follow up investigation that has been conducted, we don’t believe at this point that there is a threat to public safety,” Kaul said.
According to the school district, the individual did not breach the entryway to the school. The initial search did not reveal any additional suspects, the school district said on Facebook. Kaul confirmed this as well.
The school district's superintendent, Steve Salerno, attributed additional safety measures — which were implemented in-part because of a referendum passing — such as locked front doors and vestibules, as integral to keeping the suspect out of the building. In order to enter the middle school, one has to ring a doorbell and announce themselves to staff before being let inside. The suspect was unable to enter.
Salerno said he was very proud of his students, faculty and staff, who were quick to communicate and followed school safety trainings. He praised "thoughtful physical security measures, having a culture where kids seek help" and "preparedness," saying the school community was "prepared to respond" to the threat.
"If there's a story to be told here today it's a story of amazing staff that have rallied in support of our beautiful children and our community… who holds their children in high esteem, as they should," he said during a Wednesday evening press conference.
Witnesses described children fleeing amid the sound of gunshots near the middle school.
Jeanne Keller was in her shop The Quilting Jeanne located down the block from the campus that includes the middle school and another school building when she heard about five gunshots.
“It was maybe like pow-pow-pow-pow,” Keller told The Associated Press by phone. “I thought it was fireworks. I went outside and saw all the children running ... I probably saw 200 children.”
The district went into a full lockdown as the police department scoped out the building to make sure students and staff were safe.
Reunification of students with their parents finished Wednesday night. Kaul said safety of students, faculty and staff was a priority.
Law enforcement officials interviewed kids as they were reunified with their families. This, Kaul explained, was being done as to not prolong the trauma students experienced. Officials said interviewing them immediately would allow for them to then work to heal, as opposed to be interviewed days or weeks after the fact.
"One of the things we want to make sure is happening is the trauma for these kids is as limited in time as possible," Kaul said.
Students in the Intermediate Center were the first to be evacuated, according to the district. Those students were taken to Mount Horeb Public Library and were transported to the official reunification center at the bus garage, located at 421 W. Garfield Street. The district had asked all Intermediate Center parents to report to either Life Church or Good News Lutheran Church, including those who are assembled at the bus garage.
Dismissal for all buildings was on hold for a period until the police department gave the school district approval.
The district said kids in wrap care at Little Vikings, Hearts and Hands or CCS could be picked up by parents directly at those locations as of 4:33 p.m. The district said there were no students at Agape at the time.
Students enrolled at Early Learning and Primary Centers were being dismissed around 5 p.m., the district said. Kindergarteners were being released at the front entryway. First graders were being released from door number one. Second graders were being released from door number two. The district said parents would need to "sign off" when picking up their children.
Just after 6 p.m., the district announced on Facebook that parents could pick up students enrolled at Intermediate Center "shortly" at the District Bus Garage. The school district said that the reunification process for middle school students would tentatively begin at the District Bus Garage at 6:45 p.m.
Throughout the day, school buses remained lined up for blocks outside and authorities had used police tape to surround the middle school, the nearby high school and playing fields between the two buildings.
Salerno said schools will be open to support students and staff on Thursday. He said there are tentative plans to bring students and teachers back to class by Friday, but said that had yet to be decided.
For panicked kids and their parents, the incident was terrifying. Parents described children hiding in closets, afraid to communicate on cell phones, and one middle schooler said his class initially fled the school gym on in-line skates.
Kaul said this was any parent's "worst nightmare."
He said he knows this was a traumatic incident for parents and students. He said officials are working to minimize trauma and restore a sense of safety for the children impacted. He advised parents to reassure their children that the threat is over and encourage kids to verbalize their feelings so they do not feel isolated.
Some families said they were distraught after learning of the situation. Shannon Hurd, 44, and her former husband, Nathian Hurd, 39, sat in a car waiting to be reunited with their 13-year-old son, Noah, who was still in the locked-down school.
Shannon Hurd said she was alerted to the incident by a text from Noah saying he loved her. She said she nearly fell down the stairs at her work as she ran to get to the school.
“I just want my kid,” she said. “They’re supposed to be safe at school, in Mount Horeb of all places.”
Stacy Smith, 42, was at the bank Wednesday when she saw “20 to 30 cop cars” go by and soon got a text from the school district warning of an active shooter.
She initially could not reach her two children — junior Abbi and seventh-grader Cole.
She finally reached Abbi by phone but the girl whispered that she was hiding in a closet and couldn’t talk. She eventually connected with both children and learned they were OK.
“Not here,” she said in disbelief. “You hear about this everywhere else but not here.”
One middle schooler said his class was in the school gym practicing in-line skating when they heard gunshots.
Max Kelly, 12, said his teacher told the class to get out of the school. He said they skated to a street, ditched their in-line skates and ran to a nearby convenience store and gas station and hid in a bathroom.
Kelly was reunited with his parents and sat on a hillside with them early Wednesday afternoon waiting for his younger siblings to be released from their own schools. He still wore socks, his shoes left behind.
“I don’t think anywhere is safe anymore,” said his mother, 32-year-old Alison Kelly.
Heidy Lange, owner of Firefly Events Decor & Flowers, said she was in her florist shop about two blocks from the middle school when she looked out and saw kids running and “probably 50 cop cars from everywhere.”
“All of a sudden there was a whole bunch of parents running behind them," Lange said. “All our phones were beeping with all the alerts. It would devastate the town if something happened to a child here.”
Gov. Tony Evers said he’d been briefed on the incident in a post on X.
“I am praying for the health and safety of our kids, educators, and staff and grateful for the first responders who are working quickly to respond,” the post read.
I have been briefed on the incident at the Mount Horeb Area School District and am closely monitoring the situation.
— Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) May 1, 2024
I am praying for the health and safety of our kids, educators, and staff and grateful for the first responders who are working quickly to respond.
Wisconsin State Superintendent Jill Underly also responded to the situation on X.
We are aware of reports of an active shooter this morning at Mount Horeb Middle School. Their children, staff, and families are in our hearts.
— Dr. Jill Underly, WI State Superintendent (@DrJillUnderly) May 1, 2024
"We are aware of reports of an active shooter this morning at Mount Horeb Middle School. Their children, staff, and families are in our hearts," she said in the post. "The school is in lockdown, and the district has asked folks to stay away. I ask for all to respect the need for law enforcement and school staff to do their jobs and to take care of the kids."
Dane County Executive Joe Parisi also issued a statement following the incident.
“May 1st, 2024 will be a date not forgotten. Moments like this turn lives upside down, cause trauma, sorrow, and a moment of reflection for all of us. To the young people, their families and educators, no words can say enough of how much we as a community are here for you and grieve with you. Dane County is a close knit community. We are here for you and will continue to be. To our first responders, thank you for once again stepping forward to help in another moment of critical need. Let’s all take a moment today to hug our kids and come together to help Mount Horeb heal,” Parisi said in the statement.
Schools nationwide have sought ways to prevent mass shootings inside their walls, from physical security measures and active shooter drills to technology including detailed digital maps. Many also rely on teachers and administrators working to detect early signs of student mental health struggles.
The Mount Horeb Area School District's security protocols were not immediately clear Wednesday and there was no information known about the alleged assailant's identity or condition.
The village is home to around 7,600 people and the central office of outdoor gear retailer Duluth Trading Company. Mount Horeb markets itself as the “troll capital of the world,” a reference to carvings of trolls stationed throughout its downtown district as a tribute to a Scandinavian gift shop that was a landmark for passing long-haul truckers in the 1970s.
Kaul stressed that the investigation is ongoing. Officials are still gathering information and additional details will be made public in the future. Salerno said the district is working closely with law enforcement.
This story is developing. Check back for updates.