Nov. 8, 2024 noon
(WGTD)---The 13-year-old Kenosha boy at the center of an investigation into Thursday's school threats case apparently had nothing but replicas of guns in his possession. Still, authorities have decided to charge the boy with one count of making terroristic threats.
In a news release issued Friday morning, police disclosed that a search of the boy’s home yielded several air soft replica handguns and a fake rifle.
The incident began Thursday morning when the Mahone Middle School student tried to enter Roosevelt Elementary—his alma mater—while wearing a backpack and carrying a duffel bag. He was observed trying the handles of several locked doors, then got buzzed into a secure entryway, where a staff member launched an interaction with him.
Appearing agitated and nervous, the boy fled.
Police eventually learned his identity, then grew increasingly worried after receiving tips that the boy had a fascination with school shootings, and had made a video with what appeared to be a real gun.
He was tracked down and arrested around 2 p.m.
Police said the suspect’s mother cooperated with police, and said her son had no access to real firearms.
The boy purportedly told a social worker that he wanted to "scare" kids, according to the release.
Police also reiterated that parents need to have discussions with their children about passing along to trusted adults anything they see or hear that looks suspicious.
While no one was hurt in the Roosevelt school investigation, a police officer is recovering from injuries he received in a one-vehicle crash while responding to an unfounded report of an active shooter at Gateway Technical College in Kenosha.
The college had issued a mass text message and email alert about the KUSD incident. A student passed a police department news release along to a parent, who misinterpreted the document to mean that an active shooter situation existed. That led to a full-scale response. The all-clear was given minutes later.
-0-