Police shot and killed a 14-year-old boy as he approached a high school brandishing a rifle.
The intruder, who has not been named, was shot and killed Wednesday morning while attempting to enter Mount Horeb Area High School in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin.
Parents described children hiding in closets, afraid to communicate by phone, and one high school student said his class initially fled the school gym on in-line skates.
Schoolchildren and nearby residents and businesses said they heard about five gunshots, presumably when police opened fire.
After hours of terror, school district Superintendent Steve Salerno said the “gunman” did not get past the front doors before police killed him.
The Mount Horeb Area School District has been placed on lockdown after an active shooter entered a high school on Wednesday.
The Mount Horeb Area School District first alerted parents about the shooter in a text message before 11 a.m.
‘They are armed with a rifle and should be considered dangerous. “For your safety, stay inside, close all doors and avoid the area until further notice,” he said.
The district then posted on Facebook around 11:30 a.m., after the gunman had already been shot at least 15 minutes earlier.
Police “searched” the campus and the bomb squad searched a car connected to the gunman while the school was closed from 11:16 a.m. until approximately 12 p.m.
“An initial search of the high school has yielded no additional suspects,” the district said after receiving the all-clear.
‘Equally important is the fact that we have no reports of anyone being harmed, with the exception of the alleged attacker.
“They would be very proud of our students and staff, and we are very grateful for our first responders.”
A large police presence was seen outside the high school after the suspect was neutralized.
No injuries have been reported inside the high school in Mount Horeb, which is about a half-hour drive from Madison.
‘Our students will remain locked down in all of our buildings. Law enforcement is circulating throughout the high school to confirm the safety of all students,” the district wrote on Facebook.
‘Again, please do not show up at any of our schools at this time. “Once we confirm everyone’s safety, we will begin the off-site reunification process with families.”
A large police presence was seen outside the high school as officers made sure the building was secure.
Some high school students were evacuated when the active shooter situation unfolded, but most of their classmates are still inside.
Only students from the adjacent elementary school were released at 5 p.m. while school officials waited for police to finish their investigation.
“We are working to continue to ensure children are safe, comfortable and fed,” the school district wrote.
Authorities have asked people to stay away from the high school.
School buses remained lined up for blocks outside and authorities had used police tape to surround the high school, the nearby high school and the playing fields between the two buildings.
Jeanne Keller said she heard about five gunshots while she was in her store The Quilting Jeanne, just down the block from campus that includes the high school.
“Maybe it was like pow-pow-pow-pow,” Keller told The Associated Press by phone. ‘I thought they were fireworks. I came out and saw all the kids running… I probably saw 200 kids.’
A high school student said his class was in the school gym practicing inline skating when they heard gunshots.
Max Kelly, 12, said his teacher told the class to leave the school. He said they skated to a street, ditched their in-line skates, ran to a nearby convenience store and gas station and hid in a bathroom.
Kelly met up with her parents and sat with them on a hillside early Wednesday afternoon waiting for her younger siblings to leave their own schools. She was still wearing socks and her shoes were left behind her.
“I don’t think any place is safe,” said his mother, Alison Kelly, 32.
People gather at a site designated for parent and student reunifications following a report of an armed person outside Mount Horeb High School.
Shannon Hurd, 44, and her ex-husband, Nathian Hurd, 39, were sitting in a car waiting for their 13-year-old son, Noah, who was still at the closed high school.
Shannon Hurd said she first heard what happened through a text message from Noah saying he loved her. She said she almost fell down the stairs at her work while she was running to get to school.
“I just love my son,” she said. “They’re supposed to be safe at school.”
Stacy Smith, 42, was at the bank Wednesday when she saw police cars passing by and soon received a text message from the school district warning of an active shooter.
At first she couldn’t communicate with her two children: Abbi, a seventh grader, and Cole, a seventh grader. Finally, she contacted Abbi by phone, but the girl whispered to her that she was hiding in a closet and she couldn’t speak. She finally connected with both children and knew they were okay.
“Not here,” he said in disbelief. “You hear about this everywhere, but not here.”
