Funerals set for teacher and student killed in Wisconsin shooting as police look at Natalie Rupnow’s motive: Latest
Teacher Erin Michelle West and student Rubi Patricia Vergara, 14, were identified as those killed in the attack
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Funerals have been set for the student and teacher who were killed in Monday’s deadly shooting at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin.
The pair were named by officials on Wednesday as Rubi Patricia Vergara, 14, and Erin West, 42.
Vergara’s funeral has been set for Saturday at City Church, which is adjacent to the school, and West’s funeral is Monday at Doxa Church in Madison, where she was a member, according to obituaries published Wednesday and Thursday.
Six others were left injured following the incident, two with life-threatening wounds, and the suspected shooter – 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow – died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
It comes after California man was detained and had his guns seized after allegedly texting Rupnow about his plans to blow up a government building.
Alexander Paffendorf, 20, was issued a gun-violence restraining order and detained by FBI agents after he was accused of messaging the teenage shooter around the time of her attack.
The Carlsbad resident allegedly told Rupnow that he “would arm himself with explosives and a gun and that he would target a government building,” according to a two-page restraining order obtained by CBS 8. How Paffendorf and Rupnow knew each other is not immediately clear.
California man detained in connection with Madison school shooting: Report
Rubi Vergara, 14, named as student gunned down in Wisconsin school shooting
Wisconsin school shooting: What we know about ‘turbulent’ life of 15-year-old killer Natalie Rupnow- Younger, female and Midwestern: How Natalie Rupnow defied the typical descriptions of a school shooter
What we know about Rupnow’s ‘turbulent’ home life
Court documents show that Rupnow had a “turbulent” home life, according to the Washington Post.
Natalie Rupnow’s parents, Melissa and Jeff Rupnow, reportedly divorced and remarried multiple times. Their daughter enrolled in therapy to guide her through their custody arrangements, according to the newspaper.
The paper reported that the documents point “to an unsettled childhood for Rupnow, whose parents’ custody agreements sometimes forced her to move between their homes every two or three days.”
They reportedly divorced for the first time in 2014 and agreed to joint legal custody of their daughter. It was agreed that she would primarily live with her mother.
They remarried in 2017 and divorced for a second time in 2020. They were to divide custody of Natalie evenly, the court records reportedly show.
After they split up for the second time, they briefly remarried again. By April 2021, they were petitioning for a third divorce, the Post reports.
The Post was unable to reach Melissa Rupnow or Jeff Rupnow, who are both reported to be cooperating with police.
The teen’s father was speaking with police Monday evening, in what Barnes called a “long conversation.”
“We have no reason to believe they have committed a crime at this time,” Barnes said on Monday of the family.
The chief urged the public to disregard fast-moving, unverified online speculation that the shooter was transgender.
“I dont think that whatever happened today has anything to do with how she, or he, or they may have wanted to identify,” Chief Barnes said. “I wish people would kind of leave their own personal biases out of this. We have people who have yet another school shooting in Madison. That’s where my focus will be for the very near future.”