The man police fatally shot at Germantown middle school had out-of-state plates, no connection to village

The man police shot and killed Monday on the roof of a Germantown middle school drove a car with out-of-state license plates and no known connection to the village, the Wisconsin Department of Justice said Tuesday.

Germantown officers shot the man after he climbed to the roof of Kennedy Middle School and shot at them, the department said. He apparently had walked to the school from a car repair shop, where investigators say he was acting erratically.

No students were injured in the shooting, which occurred Monday evening while about 70 students and 20 adults were inside the building, Germantown Superintendent Chris Reuter said.

Classes were canceled for all Germantown schools Tuesday, and everyone was set to return Wednesday except for those at Kennedy Middle School, which remained closed.

"We believe they are safe going back to school," Germantown Police Chief Mike Snow said at a news conference. "We believe this was an isolated incident."

It was the fifth time police in Wisconsin fatally shot a suspect this month, according to reports from the Wisconsin Department of Justice, which investigates such shootings, and the second in a week to take place outside a school.

The circumstances that investigators believe led to the shooting became more clear Tuesday afternoon in a news release from the Department of Justice. When the man's car broke down Monday evening, he took the vehicle to a nearby repair shop.

He was behaving erratically at the shop and eventually walked to the school, to which he had no apparent connection, the Department of Justice said. He tried to get in the school doors, but they were locked, and he was seen again behaving erratically in the parking lot.

Police responded about 6:30 p.m. to Kennedy Middle School after a 911 call that the man was removing signs reserving parking spots for people with disabilities in the parking lot, according to dispatch radio traffic from Broadcastify. The man told a groundskeeper who approached him to "get back or something might happen," according to the dispatch audio. He had a large ratchet tool to take the signs off the posts, the dispatcher said.

When police arrived, the man climbed to the roof of the school and fired at officers, the Department of Justice said. Three officers returned fire and shot the man. He died at the scene despite first aid. No officers were injured.

Authorities did not release the name, age or hometown of the man Tuesday.

Asked whether the man was targeting the school, Snow said: "We don’t believe he was targeting anything.”

Four officers have been placed on administrative leave for the investigation, Snow said. In addition to the three who fired shots, a fourth officer was close to the scene, Snow said. The identities of the officers were not released Tuesday.

Snow credited the school district for training its staff and students well in case of emergency.

"They are committed to working with us to ensure that these students know what to do. And last night they demonstrated that almost flawlessly," he said.

Students, adults returned home safely

In a message to families Tuesday, Reuter said there will be no access to the middle school until further notice.

Reuter said about 70 students ranging from elementary to high school age, as well as 20 adults, were inside the middle school during the incident.

They were taken on buses to an elementary school to be reunited with family. All returned home safely.

Tuesday afternoon, principals at all six Germantown schools planned to meet with teachers and staff to talk about supporting students as they return to schools, Reuter said, noting that principals and counselors would send parents more information about resources and guidance in response to the incident.

“Thank you for your continued care, support, and compassion during this unfortunate event in our community,” Reuter said in his message.

Parent-teacher conferences at the elementary and high school levels will continue as scheduled.

If parents aren't comfortable sending their children to school Wednesday, absences will be excused, Reuter said. Thursday and Friday were previously scheduled days off for parent-teacher conferences.

School district officials didn't answer questions from the Journal Sentinel about why so many students were at the school or what exactly happened during the lockdown.

A parent whose daughter was in the lockdown told the Journal Sentinel her daughter was at the school to participate in a dance team known as Poms. Other parents also posted on social media that their children were at the school for Poms.

School board meeting went into lockdown

Over a mile away at Germantown High School, a school board meeting went into lockdown at about 7:07 p.m., as shown in a recording of the meeting.

The meeting was interrupted with an announcement about an incident at Kennedy Middle School with a police presence. Those at the meeting were told they couldn’t leave the high school until further notice from police.

School board members paused the meeting during the lockdown, with members noting that it could be a violation of open-meetings law to run a public meeting while doors are locked.

About six minutes later, it was announced that the board was able to open the building and could finish the annual meeting. They adjourned the meeting at 7:26 p.m.

Leaders react after shooting

Wisconsin politicians thanked Germantown police for their response and expressed gratitude that no children were injured.

State Sen. Dan Knodl, R-Germantown, said in a statement that his office would be in contact with authorities to offer help.

"I am very grateful for the Germantown Police Department and their quick response. This situation could have been a lot worse if it wasn't for their preparedness and professionalism. Thankfully, no children were harmed," he said.

And Gov. Tony Evers said he and his wife, Kathy, were thinking of those affected by the shooting.

"Kathy and I are thinking of the students, staff, and families affected by the events at Kennedy Middle School last night. We’re grateful for the officers who responded swiftly to keep our kids safe, and we are praying for the Germantown community as they recover and heal," he said in a statement.

Latest in a string of police shootings

The Germantown shooting is at least the fifth time this October that Wisconsin police officers shot and killed a suspect.

Menasha police officer Derrick Rotta on Oct. 7 shot and killed Kenneth R. Blevins, 43, after police responded to a domestic dispute and encountered Blevins armed with "bladed weapons," according to the Department of Justice.

Then, on Oct. 8, Rice Lake police and Barron County sheriff's deputies shot and killed a man who they said "charged at officers with a bladed weapon." The man had barricaded himself in a Rice Lake apartment after stabbing a woman, said the Department of Justice, which has not yet named the man or the officers involved.

Also this month, a Fond du Lac County sheriff's deputy on Oct. 14 shot and killed Kyle Massie, 34, as officers responded to a "disturbance involving weapons," the Department of Justice said. The deputy, Blaine Evans, and Massie exchanged gunfire, the department said, and Massie was killed and a Sheriff's Office K-9 was seriously wounded.

Then on Oct. 18, Watertown police shot and killed a man near Luther Preparatory School, a high school, after he pointed a gun at officers. The man fled an apartment building where he was causing damage, the Department of Justice said, and officers found him in the school's parking lot, local news outlets reported. Neither the officers nor the man have been named.

Other recent shootings at Wisconsin schools

The shooting in Germantown also follows a number of shootings at schools in recent years in Wisconsin.

In 2019, authorities said a student at Waukesha South High School brandished a pellet gun at another student then pointed it at officers trying to negotiate with him, and they shot and injured him. One day later, Oshkosh West student Grant Fuhrman attacked school resource officer Michael Wissink with a two-pronged fork, and Wissink shot him in the chest. Fuhrman was sentenced to 17 years in prison earlier this year.

Someone fired or brandished a gun on school property in Wisconsin 14 times between 2019 and June 2022, according to the most recent data available from the Center for Homeland Defense and Security.

Cathy Kozlowicz of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Germantown's Kennedy Middle School closed after fatal police shooting