Wisconsin latest: Police identify deceased 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow as school shooter
The suspected shooter, identified as Natalie Rupnow, was a 15-year-old student at Abundant Life Christian School, police said. The motive is still unknown
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Natalie Rupnow, a 15-year-old student, is believed to have opened fire at a private Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday morning, killing a classmate and a teacher, police announced.
Investigators have not yet determined a motive.
Police responded to reports of an active shooter at Abundant Life Christian School just before 11 a.m. and entered the building immediately upon arrival.
The suspected shooter was dead when police arrived of a suspected self-inflected gunshot wound, Madison Police Department Chief Shon Barnes said.
Six others were injured in the incident.
Two victims are in critical condition with life-threatening injuries and four others have non-life-threatening injuries.
Police recovered a handgun at the school.
The suspected shooter’s family is cooperating with police, the chief said.
President Joe Biden has been briefed on the school shooting, the White House said.
Barnes warned members of the public to rely on credible reports about the shooting and not to spread false information on social media.
'Not a drill... we heard popping...'
A Wisconsin father has described how he first heard about the shooting from his 14-year-old daughter 31 minutes before being informed by the school.
Rob Nelson, whose daughter Olive is in the ninth grade at Abundant Life Christian School, told The Washington Post that she texted him at 10:58am local time to say: “Not a drill... we heard popping.”
Oliva then described sitting in a corner of her classroom while the shooting went on outside, hearing shouts for an ambulance, and seeing police officers swarm the premises.
Nelson then received a text message from the school at 11:29am informing him of an “active shooter incident”, with a follow-up text instructing him to go to a medical clinic to be connected with his children.
“We’ve been packed into a small room in the basement here for the last several hours, basically with no information,” he said.
Madison school did not have school resource officer: police
Abundant Life Christian School did not have a school police officer or metal detectors on-site at the time of Monday’s shooting, according to local police.
“I’m not aware that the school has metal detectors, nor should schools have metal detectors,” Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes told reporters on Monday. “It’s a school, it’s a safe space.”
As The Independent has reported, school resource officers are a frequent topic of discussion after school shootings, but research hasn’t shown that they’re effective at stopping mass gun violence incidents.
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Vigil planned at Wisconsin Capitol after shooting
A vigil is planned tomorrow for the victims of Monday’s school shooting in Madison.
The event will take place at the Wisconsin State Capitol.
“We are actively planning ways to provide support, including safe spaces for youth to process their feelings, sharing mental health resources, and collaborating with community partners to address community needs,” Michael Johnson of the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County wrote on Facebook.
‘It’s just a shame’: Milwaukee Bucks coach on Madison shooting
Doc Rivers, head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks NBA team, is the latest community leader to weigh in on the Madison shooting.
“It’s just a shame that this keeps happening, that kids can’t go to school safe and it seems like we don’t do anything about it,” Rivers told reporters on Monday. “I’m not going to get up on the podium and give a long speech, except for it’s just bad, and we’re thinking about ‘em.”
Madison shooting is 83rd of 2024, setting record for last two decades
The shooting on Monday in Madison, Wisconsin, is the 83rd school shooting this year.
2024 has been the year with the most school shootings since 2008, according a CNN database.
Community reacts to Madison shooting
Community members are in shock in Madison, Wisconsin, after a shooting at a Christian school left three people dead, included the suspected shooter, and six people injured.
“I didn’t want to believe it. First I thought it was an accident,” Gary Herrmann, who lives nearby, told WMTV. “And then when I heard shooter, that’s when it really hit me.”
“Your world stops for a minute. Nothing else matters,” Bethany Highman, whose daughter goes to Abundant Life Christian School, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We’re just waiting, praying.”
Shooting is Madison’s second in seven months
The incident today in Madison is the area’s second major mass shooting in seven months.
This summer, 12 people were wounded in a shooting at a rooftop party.
Police update number of people injured in Madison rooftop shooting to 12
Police now say at least a dozen people were hurt in a shooting at a rooftop party in Wisconsin's capital city
What to know about the Abundant Life Christian School shooting
Authorities in Madison, Wisconsin are reporting at least five dead and multiple injured at a K-12 private school.
The shooting occurred at the Abundant Life Christian School around 11 a.m. Monday. The shooter, who is believed to have been a student at the school, is among the dead, according to Madison police. Police said the school has been cleared and there is no further threat.
A nearby high school, a middle school, and an elementary school were locked down in the midst of the Abundant Life shooting.
Chief Shon Barnes of the Madison PD called it a “sad, sad day.”
Read the full story.
Two in critical condition, two dead after shooting at Wisconsin Christian school
“I’m asking everyone to send your heartfelt wishes and prayers, and thoughts, yet again, to a community — but this time it’s my community,” Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes told reporters
Suspected shooter used a handgun, police say
Someone from the school called 911 to report an active shooter, Chief Barnes said.
A handgun was recovered from the scene, he said.
It’s unclear how many students attend the school but each age group is separated by floor, the police chief said.
Dozens of school shootings that have resulted in injuries or death in 2024 alone, according to analysis
This year alone, there have been 38 school shootings that resulted in injuries or deaths, according to an Education Week analysis.
There have been 220 of these shootings since 2018, the outlet found.
According to K-12 shooting database, which tracks gun-related incidents on school grounds, there have been 323 incidents this year alone.