Teen fatally shot by police outside school was wielding a pellet gun, authorities say
A 14-year-old boy who was fatally shot by police in Wisconsin outside a school earlier this week was wielding a pellet gun and pointed it at officers before they shot him, officials said Saturday.
The boy, who was a student in the Mount Horeb School District, did not comply with officers' commands to drop the Ruger .177-caliber pellet rifle, and police shot him when he pointed the weapon at them on Wednesday, the state Department of Justice said in a statement.
"Lifesaving measures were deployed but the subject died on scene," according to the statement.
Background:Students reunite with families after armed boy fatally shot outside Mount Horeb school: Here's what we know
No one else was injured. The Mount Horeb police officers who were involved remain on administrative leave in accordance with agency policy.
Police called to Mount Horeb Middle School on Wednesday morning
The call to police reporting someone moving toward Mount Horeb Middle School with a backpack and what looked like a long gun came in at 11:11 a.m. Wednesday.
Police found a teen matching the description east of the school's main entrance, according to the department.
He was killed before he could get inside the school, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said at a news conference the day of the shooting.
PREVIOUSLY:'Could have been a far worse tragedy': Wisconsin police kill armed teen outside school
Anxious hours during school lockdown
The middle school and four other Mount Horeb Area School District schools were locked down late Wednesday morning. Some remained locked down into that evening.
The district serves about 2,500 children across five schools.
An emergency alert was also sent to residents' phones warning of an active shooter at the middle school.
Parents waiting to reunify with their children expressed fear at hearing of an active shooter at the school. Many children were in tears as they rejoined their parents.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporters Sophie Carson, Jessica Van Egeren, Claire Reid, Elliot Hughes, Mary Spicuzza, and Laura Schulte contributed to this story.
