The middle school is focused on recovery as authorities investigate the shooting of an armed student

MOUNT HOREB, ​​Wisconsin (AP) — Wisconsin authorities promised a thorough investigation Thursday into the fatal police shooting of a student who was allegedly armed outside a middle school as families in the community gathered to comfort each other.

Authorities did not provide further details about the investigation led by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, nor did they release the student’s name.

“When confronted with a deadly threat, they responded with deadly force,” Mount Horeb Police Chief Doug Vierck wrote in a Facebook post, asking for patience as the investigation continues. “No officers, students or staff were injured other than the armed individual.”

Previously, authorities had only said that officers had responded to the school after receiving a report of someone with a weapon. They still haven’t said whether the student fired a gun, pointed it at police or what type of gun he had.

The middle school, along with a nearby high school and an elementary school, were closed for hours on Wednesday and did not allow students to be released until well into the afternoon. The district reported after 8 p.m. that all students had been reunited with their families.

Attorney General Josh Kaul largely declined to answer questions Wednesday night about what happened when police arrived at Mount Horeb Middle School, saying he could not jeopardize the investigation.

State law requires an outside agency to investigate every death caused by police, and those reviews are typically conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Justice.

The Mount Horeb Area School District did not hold classes Thursday. On its Facebook page, the district said a community meeting for families was being held in a room at the high school.

“Our community has experienced a collective crisis and together we will provide support and work toward recovery,” said a statement attributed to Superintendent Steve Salerno.

Law enforcement in Mount Horeb and Dane County referred all questions to the Justice Department on Thursday. The village is approximately 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of the state capital, Madison.