MOUNT HOREB – An active shooter at Mount Horeb Middle School was “neutralized” Wednesday before anyone was injured, according to the school district.
The individual “did not breach entryway” into the building, the Mount Horeb Area School District said in a statement.
“An initial search of the middle school has not yielded additional suspects,” the district said Wednesday afternoon. “As importantly, we have no reports of individuals being harmed, with the exception of the alleged assailant.”
An emergency alert was sent to residents’ phones late Wednesday morning that warned people of an active shooter at the middle school.
“They are armed with a rifle and should be considered dangerous,” the alert said. “For your safety stay inside, lock all doors, and avoid the area until further notice.”
The process to reunify intermediate center students with their families was beginning to get underway Wednesday afternoon, according to the district, which serves 2,500 students across five schools.
More:Police shoot, kill Mount Horeb student they say brought gun to school
Students still barricaded inside as of Wednesday afternoon
The district first reported the incident on its Facebook page shortly after 11:30 a.m. In a series of posts, the district said all its buildings were on full lockdown as police “scope out” the rest of the building.
Within an hour, police and emergency vehicles appeared to be focused around the high school, which is across the street from the middle school. There was one helicopter on the ground, and another overhead, as well as ambulances parked in front of the high school.
Brett Halverson, a member of the village board of trustees, said he has a child in the school district and was thankful they and other students were safe Wednesday.
“It’s very scary,” he said of the events. “Nobody ever wants to see this kind of thing happen. I wish politicians who had some say would do something about it.”
Kristen Malone was among the parents who were waiting at Life Church for their children. It was designated as a reunification center for the intermediate school, grades 3 to 5.
More:Nationally, there have been 2,069 shootings on K-12 school properties from 1970-2022
When she heard about the active shooter at the middle school, she felt “complete panic and terrified.”
She said she’s glad her children followed the emergency protocols and stayed safe. But she’s still anxious about the entire ordeal, she said.
“It’s unthinkable that it happened here. I just never really ever considered that it would happen in our community,” Malone said.
Water was being distributed for parents waiting at the church, and police brought two therapy dogs: golden retrievers named Luna and Nova.
Melissa Alvarado picked up her middle schooler daughter minutes before the incident began because she was feeling sick.
Her other child heard gunshots from the high school building across the street. Teachers told students to run to the other side of the school to barricade themselves in classrooms, Alvarado said.
“This is our home, our safe spot, that’s no longer safe,” she said.
Alyssa Kopczynskie’s daughter is also in middle school. She finally reached her daughter on the phone after calling her several times.
“Obviously she’s crying hysterically. All of her friends are crying. You can hear all of them in the background literally bawling their eyes out,” Kopczynskie said.
Speaking around 1:30 p.m., she said her daughter was still barricaded in the classroom. She had been on the phone with her daughter for two hours straight, periodically telling her to breathe and to rub the back of her friend, who has been sobbing.
“I’m literally shaking to death and can hardly breathe,” she said. “It’s not something that you would ever think would happen to you… I don’t think I’ll ever be the same after this.”
Aurora Powers, a parent who runs a cleaning business, knew most students wouldn’t have eaten lunch. So she called the Pizza Hut location in Mount Horeb and asked: would you donate pizza to the reunification site?
They said yes.
Powers understands well the challenges the students and teachers are facing. She quit teaching two years ago. The Uvalde, Texas school shooting in 2022 was a big reason.
The “whole system” needs to be reevaluated, she said, to put more focus on students’ health.
“Mentally, the wear and tear on teachers, staff, children, everybody – all of this is just a byproduct of people needing better mental health and better programs for people to get help,” she said.
Residents shocked it would happen here
Nancy Parsley, the administrative assistant at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Parish, a block from the school, said sirens were the first clue something was wrong. She and Fr. Robert Butz were the only two people in the church.
“We heard the sirens,” she said. “And then we heard more sirens, and more sirens, and more sirens.”
Then she received an emergency alert to her phone. The downtown village area appeared to lock down, Parsley said.
“Your heart just drops,” she said.
News of the active shooter was shocking for the small village of 7,700, located roughly 20 miles southwest of Madison in Dane County.
“You don’t think that it would (happen), but you know that it could,” she said. “It’s just the way that it is in the world.”
Heidy Lange, who owns Firefly Events Decor & Flowers two blocks away from the middle and high school, said she saw children sprinting down the street earlier Wednesday and that her phone rang with a recording from the school saying it was on lockdown.
Madison365 reported that an outdoor physical education class was ongoing at the time of the lockdown, and posted photos of roller blades lying abandoned in the grass near the middle school.
Lange said one of her employees had to leave to pick up her granddaughter who goes to the middle school. The child’s mother works at a different school and could not leave to pick up her child.
“It’s kind of hard for a parent that can’t do anything,” Lange said. “I don’t think anyone thinks it would happen here.”
Lange said there were parents lined up along the street and police had to direct them to the reunification area.
“I’m devastated today,” Lange said. “It’s such a wonderful quaint little town … I think it’s going to be a long recovery.”
Because the store is so close to the school, Lange said she’s gotten to know the students, their families and the school community.
“I do flowers for their dances,” Lange said. “The kids come in here and shop … it’s a small town.”
Parsley often sees middle and high school students pass by the church on a bike trail.
Reacting to reports that the shooter had been “neutralized,” Parsley said: “There’s some family that’s going to be suffering tonight.”
Eric Boyle, whose children attend the middle school, said his eighth grader ran home after seeing someone shooting a gun.
“They were at lunch, and then they just ran out the front door because they saw a guy with a gun,” Boyle said.
Boyle’s seventh grader was still on lockdown, he said.
Asked how it felt to see an incident like this in Mount Horeb, Boyle replied, “It’s crazy, but the world is crazy.”
Evers, others react to incident
Gov. Tony Evers said on X that he has been “briefed on the incident ” and is “closely monitoring the situation.”
“I am praying for the health and safety of our kids, educators, and staff and grateful for the first responders who are working quickly to respond,” Evers posted.
State Superintendent Jill Underly said the district has asked folks “to stay away.”
“I ask for all to respect the need for law enforcement and school staff to do their jobs and to take care of the kids,” Underly said in a X post.
State Rep. Mike Bare, D-Verona, whose district includes Mount Horeb, in a statement called the community “one of Wisconsin’s very best and most peaceful places to live.”
His statement continued: “Unfortunately, that sense of peace was shattered today. … I’m grieving with everyone in Mount Horeb. … I’m grateful to our first responders for their response, and I’ve offered local leaders my full support and assistance.”
Ricardo Torres contributed to this story.
This is a breaking story. Check back later for updates.
Contact Elliot Hughes at elliot.hughes@jrn.com or 414-704-8958. Follow him on Twitter @elliothughes12.
