Armed student shot and killed by police outside Wisconsin middle school

Police shot and killed an armed student outside a middle school in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, officials said Wednesday.

In a press conference, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said Wisconsin's Department of Justice was investigating the incident.

Authorities had earlier on Wednesday alerted the community to an active shooter, whom they said they had "neutralized" before the shooter gained access to the school.

The first report of a threat came in around noon Central Time. About a half-hour later, the Mount Horeb Area School District said the individual was neutralized and had not breached the entryway. The district added that there were no reports of individuals being harmed at its middle school, "with the exception of the alleged assailant."

"You would be so proud of our students and staff, and we’re so grateful for our first responders," the district said in a post on Facebook.

The school was initially placed on what was described as a "hard lockdown" after the incident. The district said that would allow for authorities to sweep the school and make sure there were no other threats.

"An initial search of the middle school has not yielded additional suspects," the district stated.

Mount Horeb is located about 20 miles west of Madison.