A police officer shot a male student armed with a gun at a Wisconsin high school Monday morning before the suspect was taken into custody, according to officials.
The Waukesha Police Department said at about 11 a.m. that there had been a "critical incident" at Waukesha South High School, but added that the building was "safe and secure." Waukesha is about 15 miles west of Milwaukee.
A student at the school had alerted a school resource officer around 10 a.m. that a classmate had a gun, Waukesha Police Chief Russell Jack said. The resource officer and Waukesha police and sheriff’s deputies who were called to the school tried to de-escalate the situation, but were not able to.
“The suspect would not remove his hands from his pocket and continued to ignore officers’ commands,” Jack said. “The suspect removed his handgun from his waistband and pointed it at the officers."
"An officer was forced to discharge his firearm, striking the suspect," Jack said. No one else was injured during the incident.
The suspect was taken into custody and is in stable condition, Jack said. The officer who shot him is an 11-year-veteran of the police department.
Terry Schuster, the public relations director for the Waukesha School District, initially said that it was the school resource officer who shot the student. Police later clarified that it was one of their officers who fired at the suspect, adding that this was an isolated incident and that they are not seeking any other suspects.
A message sent to students' parents said the school had been placed on lockdown as police responded to the incident. The message also said students would be released at 11:15 a.m.
