Wisconsin school officer shoots student who refused to drop handgun: police

A Wisconsin school resource officer shot a student who refused to drop a gun at Waukesha South High School, police said Monday.

The officer responded to a report from a student that the suspect brought a handgun to school, according to a statement from the Waukesha Police Department. The officer shot the 17-year-old student after police attempted to de-escalate the situation and the student refused to listen to officers, authorities said.

“The suspect would not remove his hands from his pocket and continued to ignore officers’ commands,” the police department said. “The suspect removed the handgun from his waistband and pointed it at the officers. An officer was forced to discharge his firearm striking the suspect.”

The student was taken to the hospital and is said to be in stable condition. Police said they recovered the weapon, adding that no one else was injured.

The school was on lockdown at about 10 a.m. local time, and students were scheduled to be dismissed at 11:15 a.m., the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

Police said initial reports indicated the officer, described as an 11-year veteran of the police department, “acted within state statute and department policy.”