Kenosha police: Armed man attempted to enter school, now in custody

KENOSHA, Wis. - Kenosha police say a person who was armed, attempted to enter Roosevelt Elementary School on Thursday morning, Nov. 7 is now in custody. He was taken into custody just after 2 p.m.

Officials say just after 9 a.m. Thursday, a suspicious suspect walked into a secured area at the school with a backpack. When he was approached by school staff, the man immediately fled the area – and all KUSD schools were put on a secure hold. Officials said this means business as usual is occurring inside schools, but no one can enter or exit buildings at this time. 

Again, at 2:05 p.m., the suspect was taken into custody. 

"We can confirm that this was not just a suspicious individual. We believe that this was actually an armed suspect with a hand or with a firearm, and there is no legitimate reason to enter the school," said Kenosha Police Chief Patrick Patton. "The only reason the individual is not able to fully enter the school was because of the quick and diligent actions of the school staff."

The chief said there was a report that there was another incident that occurred at Gateway. He confirmed that was unfounded.

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

"We are thankful for the secured entrance at Roosevelt Elementary School that prevented easy access to the building and our students and staff. We are thankful for our staff who bravely stop the individual and ask questions that cause the individual to question their choices and flee. We are thankful for multiple law enforcement agencies who stepped up to surround our schools, not just in Kenosha Unified, but throughout the county. We are thankful for our staff who continue to work with our children, your children, our students throughout the day to provide as much normalcy as possible, despite their own fears that they may be facing. We are thankful for our families who trusted us to work with law enforcement to keep their children safe," said KUSD Superintendent Jeffrey Weiss.

KUSD Superintendent Jeffrey Weiss

Kenosha Mayor David Bogdala said this was a scary moment for a lot of parents in the district.

"What I take out of this, and I hope everyone else does, is that all the work and all the collaboration that goes in, in preparing for emergency situations like this, worked," the mayor said.

Kenosha Mayor David Bogdala

 FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android

This is a developing story.