Investigators say student killed by police outside Wisconsin school had pointed pellet rifle
Authorities say a student who was killed by police outside a Wisconsin school pointed a pellet rifle at officers and had refused to drop the weapon
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A student who was killed by police outside a Wisconsin school pointed a pellet rifle at officers and had refused to drop the weapon, authorities said Saturday.
The state Department of Justice released few other details, three days after the shooting at Mount Horeb Middle School in Mount Horeb, 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Madison, the Wisconsin capital.
The student, whose name and age still have not been officially released, did not get into the school. No one else was physically injured, but the school was on lockdown for hours during the incident Wednesday.
Police were called around 11 a.m. that day after a caller said someone with a backpack and long gun was moving toward the school.
“Officers directed the subject to drop the weapon, but the subject did not comply,” the Department of Justice said Saturday. “The subject pointed the weapon at the officers, after which law enforcement discharged their firearms, striking the subject. Lifesaving measures were deployed but the subject died on scene.”
The weapon was described as a Ruger .177-caliber pellet rifle. The state said police at the scene were wearing body cameras.
Schools in the Mount Horeb district did not hold classes Thursday or Friday.