MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A teenage student opened fire at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin on Monday, killing a teacher and another teenage student in the final week before Christmas break. The shooter also died, police said.
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes did not give details about the age or gender of the suspected shooter who also wounded six others at Abundant Life Christian School, which has 420 students in prekindergarten through 12th grade. Of those wounded Barnes said two of them were in critical condition with life-threatening injuries. The other four had non-life-threatening injuries, and a hospital spokesperson said two were discharged Monday evening.
Authorities identified the suspected shooter as a 15-year-old female student. She was pronounced dead while being transported to a hospital.
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes identified the shooter as Natalie Rupnow, who went by the name Samantha.
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Investigators spoke with shooter’s family members and searched shooter’s home, officials say
Detectives talked with family members of the shooter Monday evening and searched the shooter’s home in Madison as they worked to determine a motive, according to Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes.
Barnes said they’re currently speaking with the shooter’s father at one of their facilities and that he’s cooperating.
“He lost someone as well. And so we’re not going to rush the information, we’ll take our time and certainly do our due diligence,” Barnes said.
2nd-grader called 911, police say
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said a second-grade student called 911 at 10:57 a.m. Monday to report a shooting at the school.
“Let that sink in,” Barnes repeated twice at a news briefing. Police arrived within four minutes, he said. The shooting occurred in a study hall, police said.
Police identify the suspected shooter as a 15-year-old female student
Authorities have identified the suspected shooter who killed two people at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, as a 15-year-old female student.
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes identified the shooter as Natalie Rupnow, who went by the name Samantha. She was pronounced dead while being transported to a hospital.
Two injured in shooting discharged from hospital
Lisa Adams, spokesperson for SSM Health, said two patients were discharged on Monday night and two others remain hospitalized at St. Mary’s Hospital in stable condition.
She said personnel at its medical clinic near the school “worked collaboratively with law enforcement in reuniting families.”
Two students remained in critical condition at a different hospital, according to Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes.
‘These children are now the latest group of survivors of a school shooting’
Madison’s police chief ended the agency’s third press conference of the day by asking people to focus their attention on the Abundant Life Christian School community.
“These children are now the latest group of survivors of a school shooting,” Barnes said. “This time, unfortunately, in Madison, Wisconsin.”
School officials have not yet decided if classes will start up again this week. Barbara Wiers, director of elementary and school relations for Abundant Life Christian School, said Monday began the last week of school prior to winter break.
She said their goal is to get the school’s staff together early in the week and then try to have some community opportunities for the students to reconnect.
Students ‘handled themselves magnificently,’ school official says
Barbara Wiers, director of elementary and school relations for Abundant Life Christian School, said students “handled themselves magnificently.”
She said when the school practices safety routines, leaders always announce that it is a drill. That didn’t happen on Monday.
“When they heard ‘lockdown, lockdown,’ they knew it was real,” she said.
Wiers said just before the school year, they had done a retraining with the Madison Police Department, so it was “very fresh for faculty.”
“This has obviously rocked our school community,” she said.
Wiers said the school has a total of 420 K-12 students. The school does not have metal detectors but uses other security measures including cameras, she said.
Police won’t yet give more information on the suspected shooter. That could come later
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes did not release more information about the suspected shooter, including age, gender or name.
Barnes said investigators may have enough information to release more detail later Monday. Authorities have planned a fourth press conference for about 8:30 p.m. CST.
Barnes also warned people against sharing unconfirmed reports on social media about the shooter’s identity.
“What that does is it helps erode the trust in this process,” he said.
Expert says school shootings by teenage females have been rare
School shootings by teenage females have been extremely rare in U.S. history, with males in their teens and 20s carrying out the vast majority most of them, according to David Riedman, founder of the K-12 School Shooting Database.
In a blog post last year, he pointed to a handful of school shootings that involved perpetrators who identified as female, including a 16-year-old girl who shot and killed two and injured several others at San Diego elementary school in 1979.
—By Ryan Foley
