Two people were killed and several others were injured in one shooting at a private Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin, also killing the suspected gunman on Monday, officials said. At least six people were injured in the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School, authorities said, with injuries ranging from minor to life-threatening.
Officers responded to the school, located at 4901 East Buckeye Road, around 11 a.m. after a 911 call from a second grader reporting the shooting. The shooting was confined to a classroom where a study hall with students from several grades was being held, police said.
What do we know about the suspected shooter?
The shooter was identified by police as 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow. Rupnow was a student at the school and went by Samantha, Madison Police Chief Shon F. Barnes said Monday evening.
Barnes said Rupnow appears to have died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was pronounced dead while being taken to the hospital.
“They found the person they believe was responsible who crashed, deceased,” he said earlier in the day the shooter was discovered.
Authorities said the suspected gunman was dead when officers arrived, and that no police fired their weapons.
He said the shooter’s motivation is not yet known. Barnes also could not say how the shooter obtained a gun, but that it would be part of the investigation.
“What we do know is that this child was clearly in a lot of trouble. There are usually warning signs that we all missed and so we need to understand that we need to come together as a community,” Barnes said in an interview with “CBS Mornings” on Tuesday. “We need to put our arms around our children and understand what is happening in their lives.”
Police contacted the suspected shooter’s family, Barnes said, and the family was cooperating with police.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it is working on an “urgent lead” on the firearm used in the shooting.
A gun was recovered after the shooting, Barnes said. As of Monday evening, it was not clear where the weapon came from. It is not yet known how many shots were fired.
A law enforcement source said the weapon used in the shooting appears to have been a 9mm handgun.
What do we know about the school shooting victims?
In addition to the suspected gunman, two more people were killed — a teenage student and a teacher — officials said. At least six people were injured, two of whom were in critical condition with injuries considered life-threatening.
Police have not yet publicly identified the victims. Names will not be released until officers speak with family members who lost loved ones in Monday’s shooting.
“Our community is really reeling from what happened last night and we’re really trying to put the pieces together to provide answers to our community,” Barnes said on “CBS Mornings.”
The teacher may have been a substitute, according to Pastor Chris Dolson, who spoke at a vigil for the victims Monday evening.
“There’s a woman who called in sick today. She’s a teacher. And there was a substitute who came to take her place, who was shot and killed,” Dolson said. “Survivor’s guilt kicks in when things like that happen.”
CBS News has not independently confirmed the teacher’s identity.
Two injured people were released from the hospital Monday evening, Barnes said. The police chief initially said all the injured victims were students, but later said a teacher was among the injured. The condition of the two people still in hospital was stable on Monday evening.
“I’m feeling a little dismayed right now, so close to Christmas,” Barnes said. “Every child, every person in that building, is a victim and will forever be a victim. These types of trauma don’t just go away.”
Barnes taught history at a public high school for four years before switching to a career in law enforcement. He said Monday’s shooting had a huge impact on him.
“I have always had a great heart for school and education, as someone who values the sanctity of school and understanding and is in the position to know how committed teachers really are to understanding that our children need to be safe in order to learn. he said on “CBS Mornings.”
SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital-Madison said it had received patients after the shooting. UW Health also said it was receiving patients from the shooting.
What do we know about Abundant Life Christian School?
Abundant Life Christian School is a private elementary school founded in 1978, according to its website. The school has about 420 students, a principal said.
“Prayers requested! Today we had an active shooter incident at ALCS,” the school posted on Facebook.
The school describes itself as a “private, nonprofit, nondenominational K-12 institution organized for the purpose of developing disciples of Jesus Christ through an excellent, comprehensive, biblically integrated education program that is thoroughly Christian in its content, context and practice.”
Barnes was asked about metal detectors at the school during a press conference on Monday.
“I’m not aware that the school had metal detectors, and schools shouldn’t have metal detectors. It’s a safe space,” Barnes said.
The shooting occurred at Abundant Life Christian School, a private school in Madison, Wisconsin, with approximately 420 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. /Credit: Murat Usubaliev/Anadolu via Getty Images
Barbara Wiers, the school’s Director of Basic and School Relations, confirmed that while there are no metal detectors at the school, there are security protocols in place.
“Each student is visually scanned before going to their locker rooms or classrooms,” Wiers said during a news conference.
There are cameras in the building, which students are aware of, Wiers says. The cameras in the office are checked regularly.
What are the gun laws in Wisconsin?
The Giffords Law Center, which rates gun laws, gave Wisconsin a C on its annual scorecard.
According to the center, “the state still lacks a number of key policies that could go a long way in reducing gun violence.”
In Wisconsin, possession of a firearm under the age of 18 is a misdemeanor, while selling, lending or giving a gun to someone under the age of 18 is a misdemeanor. It is also a state crime to allow a child under the age of 14 to come within range of a loaded firearm.
Bringing a loaded weapon into a school is also a crime.
President Biden and Governor Evers respond to the shooting in Wisconsin
President Biden was briefed on the shooting in Wisconsin, a White House official said. Mr. Biden called the shooting shocking and unconscionable and called on Congress to take action.
“From Newtown to Uvalde, from Parkland to Madison, to so many other shootings that go unaddressed – it is unacceptable that we cannot protect our children from this scourge of gun violence. We cannot continue to accept it as normal. The child deserves to feel safe in the classroom. Students across our country should be learning to read and write – not taught how to duck and hide.”
Governor Tony Evers ordered the U.S. and Wisconsin flags to fly at half-staff after the shooting.
“As a father, a grandfather and as a governor, it is unthinkable that a child or teacher would wake up one morning and go to school and never come home,” Evers said. “This should never happen, and I will never accept this as a done deal or stop working to change it.
Former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who founded a national gun violence prevention organization, said her heart went out to the Madison community.
“Just days after we commemorated the 26 lives lost at Sandy Hook Elementary School, another school community was subjected to the terror of a mass shooting in Madison,” Giffords said in a statement. “Students deserve to go to school without gun violence, but in our country it is the number one killer of children – a devastating, preventable tragedy that requires action from our elected leaders.”
How many school shootings have occurred so far in 2024?
Monday’s shooting came just days after the victims of the Dec. 14, 2012, Sandy Hook school shooting were remembered.
According to Education Week, there have been 38 school shootings this year it resulted in injuries or deaths.
Bar chart showing the number of shooting incidents in US schools since 2014 to date.
Earlier this month, two toddlers were injured in a North Korean school School shooting in California.
In the past four years school shootings have killed more than 200 people and injured more than 600, according to a CBS News analysis of the K-12 School Shooting Database.
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