One person has been killed following a shootout with Wisconsin police officers on the roof of a middle school – while up to 70 terrified children were trapped inside.
Germantown police responded to a person ‘acting erratically’ in the parking lot of Kennedy Middle School around 7pm on Monday.
The person climbed onto the school’s roof and shot at officers who were following on foot. The cops returned fire, the DOJ said.
Following an exchange of bullets, the subject was shot dead.
Between 50 and 70 students were trapped inside as their after-school practices for activities like cheerleading, basketball, and color guard were cut short.
An active shooter was killed at Kennedy Middle School in Wisconsin on Monday
Police responded to reports of a person ‘acting erratically’ and killed the suspect in a shootout on the roof
The school was placed into lockdown, trapping between 50 and 70 students inside during their after-school activities
The middle school was placed on lockdown due to a ‘school safety threat,’ according to the Germantown School District.
Samantha Scherdin, a seventh grader, said she was inside the school for dance practice when the building was closed down. ‘A lot was happening,’ Scherdin said.
‘Me and my friends were just all together and hugging and crying. But we were told we had to be quiet so nothing would come into the building.
‘But we were told no one was in the building. Just stuff going around and we heard gunshots and yelling.’
The three officers involved in the incident were placed on administrative leave, per agency policy. No one else was injured.
The Germantown School District released a statement at around 8.40pm.
‘Due to a school safety threat at Kennedy Middle School this evening, a lockdown was enforced. Germantown Police Department are at KMS presently,’ it read.
The district sent buses to pick up students and transport them to MacArthur Elementary, just down the road.
One seventh-grade student said she heard ‘gunshots and yelling’ as she and her friends were instructed to be quiet
The incident was reported around 7pm. The Germantown School District issued a statement nearly two hours later saying police were on the scene
The students were taken to MacArthur Elementary, just down the road, where their parents would pick them up
Parents were instructed to bring their ID for pickup and were told to expect further information when they arrived.
The district sent another email just before 11.30pm, notifying parents that school would be closed on Tuesday.
The DOJ’s Division of Criminal Investigation launched an investigation into the shootout.
They will turn over reports to the Washington County District Attorney when the investigation concludes.