Marching Band Member Practicing Rifle Toss Before School Mistaken for Armed Man

WAUKESHA, WI — Day after day, the same Waukesha North High School student started his trip to school at the Fleetfoot Drive bus stop across from Kwik Trip.

He'd carry his books, a school bag, and in many cases, the rifle he used as a member of the school's marching band.

Typically, this student's marching band rifle isn't the kind of thing you'd confuse for the kind hunters use during deer hunting season.

This student's rifle was a wood cutout, painted white and wrapped in white tape. It was a tool used in a field show, and precisely balanced to be twirled aloft, and caught in the palms of a color guard member's hands — without moving a muscle to catch it.

That's a considerable skill that takes years of knuckle-breaking practice to master. On the morning of Thursday, Sept. 22, on a clear day, at the bus stop, this student thought he'd get in just a little more practice.

At 6:06 a.m. a concerned citizen driving on their way to work called police, informing authorities that a male subject wearing blue jeans and a plaid shirt was "twirling" a rifle and playing with it.

The call came in as a "Man With a Gun," and Waukesha police responded to this call as they would in any situation — sincerely, and under oath to protect the lives of the people they serve.

Three squads were dispatched to the area, and traffic was shut down on Fleetfoot from Kwik Trip to Racine Avenue.

During their investigations, officers spoke with Kwik Trip employees, who reported there was an older male with a "parade style" rifle on the corner. He was described as "not threatening and looking like he might have been practicing." According to the report, he boarded the bus.

At 6:36 a.m. the call "command terminated" came over dispatch, indicating the scene was secure.

At 6:38 a.m. police made contact with the student at the transit center at 212 E. St. Paul Ave. A police call indicating, "It is a gun case, he is not threatening," came over dispatch.

An officer made contact with staff at Waukesha North High School and spoke with band director Lansing Dimon.

After talking with the officer, Dimon spoke with his marching band about the incident that took place in the morning.

"I personally spoke with the color guard students and shared with them what I feel are common sense guidelines we should use in terms of the color guard equipment, from the perspective of the 'real world' who don't know what they are and how we use them," Dimon told Patch on Thursday evening.

"I included the situation as well as other stories of friends I have who are involved in color guard who may travel on bus, train or plane who have encountered similar situations. It became a learning moment for them."

In a letter sent to parents of Waukesha North band members, Dimon offered these guidelines to his rifle-toting students:

• Put [the rifle] in some form of color guard flag bag.
• Don't practice in public places (i.e. park, parking lot) or in your front yard; be wise in where you practice.

Dimon told Patch that the whole situation was quickly and easily resolved Wednesday, and in a letter addressed to parents, he wrote "In my career, I'll file this under 'just when you think you have seen or heard it all'..."

And for one Waukesha North student, years down the road, in a band bus on a long drive back from the game, he will be able to tell a story that begins with exactly the same line.