Wisconsin school shooting latest: Student and teacher killed by Natalie Rupnow named as man detained in California
Erin Michelle West, 42, and Rubi Patricia Vergara, 14, have been named as the victims of the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School after Natalie ‘Samantha’ Rupnow opened fire
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A California man has been detained by authorities in connection to the school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin, as the student and teacher killed in the attack were named for the first time.
Teacher Erin Michelle West, 42, and Rubi Patricia Vergara, 14, were identified on Wednesday evening as the victims of the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School on Monday after Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow, 15, opened fire.
Vergara was a freshman at the school and “an avid reader, loved art, singing and playing keyboard in the family worship band,” according to the obituary released on Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile, a 20-year-old man identified by CBS 8 in San Diego as Alexander Paffendorf, has been detained by authorities in Carlsbad, California.
FBI agents detained Paffendorf after he told them he had been texting 15-year-old Rupnow around the time of the shooting, according to the report.
Paffendorf allegedly said he was attempting to coordinate an attack at a government building in San Diego during the shooting.
The Madison Police Department referred The Independent to the FBI San Diego when approached for further information.
The FBI declined to comment.
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
School will remain closed until after the Christmas break
Charles Moore, the leader of Madison Christian schools, confirmed that the school would remain closed until after the Christmas break.
Moore told the Journal Sentinel at a vigil on Tuesday night that the community was in complete shock.
“It’s hard to comprehend the shock,” Moore said. “There are still some very, very injured children in the hospital. It doesn’t end on the first day, in the first couple of minutes. Lives have been torn apart.”
Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office release further information about deaths
West and Vergara were both pronounced dead at the scene, the Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office said.
The office confirmed to The Independent that West and Vergara died due to homicidal firearm-related trauma.
Their deaths remain under investigation by the Madison Police Department and the Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office.
BREAKING: Teacher killed in shooting named as Erin Michelle West
The teacher who was killed in the Wisconsin school shooting has been named as Erin Michelle West, the Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed to The Independent on Wednesday night.
Vergara’s aunt pays tribute to teen victim
Rubi Vergara’s aunt, Stacy Remus, paid tribute to the student on Facebook.
“Friends and family... here it is. This is our beautiful Rubi Vergara, our niece who was killed in Monday’s school shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison,” Remus wrote.
“We are grateful for our friends, family and Bluff View Church family for your support during this hard time. And by the way .... Jesus is Still on the Throne and God is Good. Rubi, there are very few words to express how our hearts are broken, we love you and miss you.”
The student’s funeral will take place this Saturday, according to the obituary.
Pictured: Student who was killed named as Rubi Vergara
BREAKING: Student who was killed in shooting named
The student who was killed in the school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin, has been identified as Rubi Patricia Vergara.
An obituary released on Wednesday named the 14-year-old as one of the victims of the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School on Monday, the Associated Press reported.
The name of the teacher who also died has not been released.
Vergara was a freshman at the school and “an avid reader, loved art, singing and playing keyboard in the family worship band,” according to the obituary.
In photos: Vigils held for Abundant Life Christian School shooting victims
WATCH: Wisconsin Police Department offer condolences to victim's families after school shooting
Police and ATF look into history of handgun used in attack
Investigators are working alongside the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to track down the origin of the weapon believed to have been used by school shooter, Natalie Rupnow.
Police have said the 15-year-old shooter used a handgun to carry out the attack. Its history is now being traced by the ATF, Madison Police Department Chief Shon Barnes told CNN on Tuesday.
It is not yet clear who the gun belonged to or where it originated.
“We have asked our partners with the ATF to expedite what’s called an ATF trace form to try and determine the origin of that weapon, who purchased it and how it got from a manufacturer all the way to the hands of a 15-year-old girl,” he said.
“These are questions that are going to take some time to answer.”
Neighbors of Wisconsin shooter describe the block’s new sadness
Neighbor Suzy De Wilde said she and her husband moved in about four years ago and that she regularly saw Natalie Rupnow hanging out in the park next to their property.
“Every day, I wash my dishes and I see that house,” she said. “It’s f*****g crazy that that’s where the shooter lived… Every day, I get to look at that front door now. How do you live with these reminders everywhere?”
Justin Rohrlich has the exclusive story.
Neighbors of Wisconsin school shooter Natalie Rupnow talk living near killer
Exclusive: “It’s f*****g crazy that that’s where the shooter lived,” Suzy De Wilde told The Independent. “... Every day, I get to look at that front door now.”