A police officer shot an armed 17-year-old student during a school-wide lock down at Waukesha South High School Monday morning.
The school received a report around 10 a.m. that a classmate had a gun on campus. Waukesha’s in-school resource officer called the Waukesha Police Department and sheriff's deputies for support in the critical situation.
The authorities were able to isolate the student in a classroom, removing all other students and faculty. However, they were unable to de-escalate the situation through dialogue alone.
The student would not discharge his firearm, and subsequently a member of the WPD shot the student. Students who were hiding across campus testify they heard either two or three gun fires.
“The suspect would not remove his hands from his pocket and continued to ignore officers’ commands,” Police Chief Russell Jack said. “The suspect removed his handgun from his waistband and pointed it at the officers."
The student was taken into custody and is in stable condition.
Gov. Tony Evers stated it is “gut-wrenching” that any student should fear for their lives at school.
“Today is a grim reminder that this can happen anywhere, but I do not accept — nor should we accept — that this is an inevitable reality for our kids, our communities, our state, or our country,” Evers said.
