Prosecutors won’t charge officers who killed student outside Wisconsin school
FILE - Law enforcement personnel respond to a report of a person armed with a rifle at Mount Horeb Middle School in Mount Horeb, Wis., Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (John Hart/Wisconsin State Journal via AP)
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Three Wisconsin police officers who killed a student as he tried to break into his middle school with an air rifle this past spring won’t face criminal charges, prosecutors announced Monday.
Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne said in a statement exonerating Mount Horeb police officers Tyler Stephens, Carson Stoddard and Steve Rosemeyer that 14-year-old Damian Haglund’s air rifle looked like a real firearm and he refused repeated commands to drop the weapon.
Moments after the announcement, the state Justice Department released hundreds of pages of investigative notes connected with the May 1 shooting at Mount Horeb Middle School that show Haglund had planned to “get the popular kids” for months.
Investigators found writings in Haglund’s journal entitled “Battle Plan,” dated Jan. 26, three months before the attack. He planned to tell his mother that he was sick, steal a car, sneak into the school at lunch time, burn down the library and go after the popular kids, according to the documents. He then planned to escape and die, the documents said.
Three days later, he wrote that the attack would take place on May 1 because the weather would be warmer and he wouldn’t have to hide in muddy fields, according to the documents.
Investigators also discovered a message written on his bedroom wall in black marker that read: “Hi COPS! To the officer who has to shoot me: I’m sorry, its not your fault. don’t forget that.”
Haglund also left notes behind in his room, including: “Dear Mom, this was not your fault, live your life; DH.”
Surveillance video shows Haglund ramming the end of the air rifle against the locked glass front doors of the school in an apparent attempt to break in. One student described how Haglund nearly got into the cafeteria by ringing a bell from the outside. Someone unlocked the door but quickly locked it again after seeing Haglund had the rifle behind his back, state agents said in the documents.
Students ran into the neighborhood. Rosemeyer told investigators that they appeared to be in “pure fear and running for their lives.”
Rosemeyer found Haglund trying to pull open a door and opened fire along with Stephens and Stoddard after Haglund refused commands to drop the air rifle, according to the investigative documents.
Stoddard told investigators that Haglund had a rifle pointed at Rosemeyer during “90% of the incident.” Stoddard said he feared that the teen would kill students if he got inside the school.
Haglund never got inside and no other students were hurt.
Investigators recovered around two dozen shell casings from the scene, suggesting the officers fired multiple rounds at Haglund. Police found 6,000 BBs, a homemade explosive known as a Molotov cocktail, fireworks and a vial of uranium ore in Haglund’s backpack.
School surveillance video shows Haglund lighting off a firework and tossing it away as he’s walking toward the middle school. Investigators said the uranium appears to be designed for testing Geiger counters and was available for public sale online.
Haglund’s mother, Melissa Haglund, did not immediately return emails and a voicemail seeking comment.
The Mount Horeb Police Department issued a statement Monday saying that Ozanne’s decision not to charge the officers marks another step as the community continues to heal.
“We cannot express how proud we are of the courage all the officers and first responders displayed that day,” the statement said. “They responded to an armed subject on school grounds and did not hesitate or delay. The response showed how many remarkable people are willing to put their lives on the line for our children and the community.”
Attorney General Josh Kaul, who oversees the state Justice Department, issued his own statement saying he was glad to see the community come together with compassion after the incident.
Teachers told investigators that Haglund was smart and quirky with an oddball sense humor, although he could be immature at times.
A friend whose name was redacted from the files told agents that Haglund was friendly and liked to joke around. The friend said kids outside his friend group thought he was weird and would push him around. Another classmate told investigators that Haglund had been bullied the previous school year, but not this one, and also knew a lot about school shooters.
One of Haglund’s teachers shared with police a questionnaire that he had filled out at the start of the 2023-24 school year. Haglund said he lived with his mother, an uncle and four pets. He said he was considering a career in architecture and liked to hike and play video games.
Mount Horeb Area School District Superintendent Steve Salerno posted a message on Facebook Monday saying the investigative files should help the community understand what happened.
“It is a difficult, heartbreaking read; however, it repeatedly emphasizes the heroism of so many — most especially the very first responding law enforcement professionals,” Salerno said.
Mount Horeb is a village of 7,750 people about 23 miles (37 kilometers) southwest of Madison, the state capital.
___
Associated Press writers Scott Bauer in Madison and Ed White in Detroit contributed to this report.