MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The police officers who shot and killed an armed student as he tried to enter a Wisconsin high school will not face criminal charges, prosecutors announced Monday.
Damian Haglund, 14, was carrying a pellet gun that resembled a real firearm. He repeatedly refused orders to drop the weapon and pointed the gun at an officer at least twice, endangering the officers' lives, Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne said in a statement.
According to the statement, Mount Horeb Village Police received a call on May 1 about a person walking past a house with a gun near the village's high school.
An officer saw students running from the high school as he approached and saw Haglund pulling on one of the school's doors. He was carrying what appeared to be a gun.
The officer, who is not named in the affidavit, believed Haglund was going to enter the school and injure students. The officer began yelling at Haglund to drop the weapon and get away from the school, but Haglund continued to pull on the door.
Haglund then walked up to the officer and pointed the gun at him, despite repeated warnings to put the gun down.
More police arrived and shots were fired. Haglund was apparently injured, fell to the ground, got up and pointed the gun at the first officer again. More shots were fired and Haglund fell again.
He again pointed the gun at the first officer from the ground. The officer then fired his gun at Haglund, the affidavit said.
The statement does not name the officers, nor does it say how many shots were fired or by whom.
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This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Haglund's first name. It is Damian, not Damien.
